Students look for Engineering colleges in other states

HYDERABAD: United or divided state, engineering aspirants in Telangana and AP are at the receiving end compelling them to look for colleges in neighbouring states if they wish to study in a peaceful environment.

While it was prolonged agitation for and against the bifurcation of united AP that had affected the engineering counselling last year, this year it is the political bickering over the fee reimbursement between the two governments which is causing the delay in starting the admission process.

Consequently, the hapless engineering aspirants have to bear the brunt of securing admission in colleges in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Rajasthan that are believed to function clockwork starting from August 1.

According to estimates available from the Board of Intermediate (BIE) 13,000 students have already received the migration certificates.

In another week a total of 25,000 are expected to collect their migration certificates as they had already applied for the same, a senior official of BIE has said. The migration certificate is mandatory for students who want to continue their studies outside their home states.

Although it is expensive to study outside, a sizable number of students do not mind spending the extra buck to have a better study environment. However, this has been only limited to financially well-off students, who do not fall into fee reimbursement bracket offered by the government.

'Though, they are saying that counselling will be over by October end, I believe it will go on till the end of November. So, one cannot expect a good academic year. With the poor faculty and infrastructure here, the placement prospects for these colleges are very bleak. So it is better to study outside,' K Rajeev, who is planning to apply for a deemed university in Chennai, said.

Private engineering college managements fear that unless both governments make efforts to start the admission process at the earliest one cannot help contain exodus of students to other states.

'If this stalemate continues, the two states will jointly lose around 40,000 students to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka,' said president of the Rural Engineering Colleges Management Association Dr G Manohar Reddy.

However, he said, 'The delay is only part of the reason but the actual problem is with falling standards in engineering education with respect to teaching faculty and infrastructure.'

P Madhusudhan Reddy of the Government Junior Colleges Lectures' Association said the situation of colleges in T and AP is such that colleges have to dole out sops-like free bus pass and laptop- to attract students.