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| Rajdhani College in Bhubaneswar |
Bhubaneswar, Aug. 21: Four years after the All India Council of Technical Education started the second shift classes in engineering colleges, the response has not been very encouraging. At least five engineering colleges out the total 12 are left with little or no students.
The second shift was introduced to help students pursue technical courses while working, and give colleges a chance to put their infrastructure to maximum use.
Though the system has gained popularity in a few well-known institutes, it has failed to make a mark in lesser-known colleges.
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“While the popular institutes are conducting multiple shifts, the new and less popular colleges are worst affected. This is why the state government has been trying hard to put an end to the system. We have also gone to the court against it,” said a senior official of the technical education department.
However, there are officials who feel the second shift classes should continue. “There is no reason why the classes should be stopped. It is good since the institutes are getting a chance to put their infrastructure to maximum use,” said Binod Dash, secretary of Odisha Private Engineering Colleges’ Association.
“It’s about giving maximum number of students a chance to pursue their dream. They shouldn’t suffer due to the short-sightedness of the state machinery,” said Dash.
Moreover, the overall picture of the state technical education is also not promising. As per the data put up on the Odisha Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) site, altogether 37,487 out of 48,687 engineering seats are lying vacant after the final phase of counselling this year, making it the highest number of vacant seats in the state. Only 11,200 students have been admitted (which is just 24 per cent of the total BTech seats) to 10 government and 101 private engineering colleges in the state.