CHENNAI: As concerned about the growing number of engineering seats across the country , The All India Council For Technical Education is planning to cut down seats by sis lakh.

“We would like to bring it down to between 10 lakh and 11 lakh (one million and 1.1 million) from a little over 16.7 lakh now,” said Anil Sahasrabudhe, chairman of the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE). The capacity should come down for the betterment of all—students, education providers and employers—he added in a Live Mint.

It may find annoying to engineering aspirants but , academicians believe that it will not raise any issues and this may improve the quality of engineering education .

Companies recruiting from engineering colleges in India have often complained about the quality of graduates from institutions other than the top schools such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani. Many engineering colleges lack proper infrastructure, and most of their students, taught by poor-quality teachers, gain few employable skills at the end of the four years they spend to get a degree.

“The intake capacity right now seems to be much above the demand,” Sahasrabudhe told Mint, adding that AICTE understands the need to balance the demand-supply situation.

Sahasrabudhe told Mint that AICTE will only “facilitate the closure of engineering schools” entirely or in parts to achieve the target. He also said engineering colleges will not be forced to shut down and the regulatory body will “ensure that students are not at the receiving end”.

India has more than 3,470 engineering colleges.