Soon, study MBA and engineering in distance mode

In the not-too-distant future, you could become an engineer or earn an MBA sitting at home.

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the apex body for professional courses, will allow colleges to offer engineering and MBA via distance mode, overturning the tough stand it has maintained for years. The council had earlier stated that professional courses like engineering required intensive practical training and programmes such as an MBA ought to have several hours of classroom discussions and debates as business had several tones of grey that an aspiring manager must understand. 

The AICTE's change of heart will not only augment the number of professionals in India, but will also prove to be a game-changer as the fees will be a lot lesser than what students pay to attend college. But every candidate will have to sit for an exit or a licentiate examination, termed as the National Eligibility Test, at the end of the course before she or he is declared an engineer or the MBA or MCA degree is awarded. 

A student should have completed a degree or a diploma in the classroom mode and attained a minimum of five years of work experience before they can take up a professional course via the distance learning mode. 

"This will be a mixed mode of education—while practical training will take place face-to-face, theory can be conducted using ICT," AICTE chairman S S Mantha said. 

The decision was taken on the recommendation of a committee headed by former IIT-Kanpur director Sanjay Dhande and IIT-Kanpur chairman M Anandkrishnan who studied the possibility of offering engineering and other professional courses through the distance mode. As Mantha explained, all professional courses except architecture and pharmacy can be conducted virtually. But a student or a class XII pass-out seeking his/her first diploma or degree cannot sign up for a BTech under this scheme. 

"Essentially, there will be an entrance test and an exit exam that all students signing up for a course under the distance education mode will have to take. We have to preserve the quality of students at both the stages," Mantha added. The AICTE is currently drawing up rules and the approval process for colleges wanting to offer courses though the virtual medium. Interested colleges can apply from March 1. 

Distance education:

Currently, 14 open universities and 172 other institutions offer courses in higher education via the distance mode to about 40 lakh students. Distance education courses are regulated by the Distance Education Council (DEC), a body that operates under IGNOU. 

Distance education is largely confined to general streams. Some universities like IGNOU offer technical courses like an MCA but tie-up with colleges so that students can use their laboratories for practical training. 

There was a tripartite committee comprising the UGC, DEC and AICTE which used to examine applications from institutes interested in offering courses via distance education, but the committee was almost defunct as the AICTE maintained that professional courses could not be imparted virtually.

AICTE creates a table to keep admission process in check

Gujarat which is notorious for continuing its admission process for months will have to pull up its socks. All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) officials announced in a seminar here on Tuesday that academic sessions of all technical, professional classes should begin from August 1 next year.

The AICTE has handed over a time table which the state education department has been directed to strictly adhere to from next year.

Advisor-I of the AICTE, MK Hada said that as per the Supreme Court guidelines, the AICTE has made a time table for all the states to follow for admissions in engineering and other technical professional courses. As per the time table, the states will have to seek permission for new colleges before April 30.

In the past, colleges have been granted admission as late as in June and July completely jeopardizing the admission process. "By June end, the first round of admission should be completed. The second round of admission should be completed on July 10 and the third round should be finished by July 20. Academic sessions in all technical colleges should begin on August 1", said Hada.

Hada said that the states found flouting this time table will be served a notice as these guidelines have been prepared following SC directives. Locals have welcomed this change as the admission process in Gujarat is known to stretch till September, October and even November.

Officials said that any student admitted after July 30 will not be enrolled by the universities and not recognized as a student by AICTE.

Manipal University will introduce 12 new courses

 Manipal University will introduce 12 new courses in the forthcoming academic year. At present the varsity is offering 320 courses in 18 streams. 

GK Prabhu, registrar of Manipal University, said here on Monday that the university would conduct online entrance tests (OET) for all its courses, including MBBS, BTech and BPharm from April 15 to May 15, 2013. The number of test centres has been increased from 30 to 50 this year, he added. 

"There is no clarity in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to medical courses introduced by the Union government. As a result several deemed universities have moved court. We have also moved court against NEET and if the Supreme Court directs us to admit students through NEET, we will do that. However, we will conduct the online entrance tests as per the schedule," he added.

This year, the university has added a new feature to the entrance test. The candidates will be allowed to take a second test, if they are not satisfied with their performance in the first attempt. "The better score will be considered for the merit list," he said. 

He also said that even though there is a need for more nurses in the country, there is a decline in the demand for nursing courses. To encourage more students to take up the course, the university has introduced scholarships for nursing students. 

"Candidates who have scored above 80% in their 12th standard exam and whose parents' family income is below 12.5 lakh are eligible for the scholarship," he added. 

The university has also increased the funds set aside for scholarships from Rs 18.13 crore to Rs 25.01 crore. "There is also a 10 percentage tuition fee waiver in all course for Konkani speaking students," he said. 

A few seats in all the courses are reserved for schools and colleges of Academy of General Education. Some of the scholarships offered are Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) scholarship for qualified students, All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) scholarship, merit-cum-means scholarship.