Engineering colleges in Telangana to be in jeopardy after split

HYDERABAD: Bifurcation of the state is expected to result in several engineering colleges in the Telangana region facing a slow death, though there will be a slight growth in the number of intermediate colleges in the region, according to educationists.

On the other hand, the Seemandhra region is expected to see a growth in the number of engineering colleges with managements run by people from the Andhra region trying to get a firm foothold there. A growth in the number of central universities and national technological institutes is also predicted in the region.

Out of a total of 712 engineering colleges in the undivided state, 350 are located in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts even as only 40 per cent of the students who qualify in Eamcet hail from the Telangana region. There would be less than 60,000 takers for the more than 1.9 lakh engineering seats available in the region. Consequently, it would resign many institutes in the region to a slow march to closure. About 170 engineering colleges already face a dearth of students.

Interestingly, most of these institutes, which are run by managements from the Andhra region, would shift base to cities in the Seemandhra region, experts predicted.

"The difference is expected to be highlighted in the coming counselling for engineering seats. Students from Seemandhra regions are expected to take admission mostly in institutes located in those regions," a college owner rued.

Going by the demand for seats in the region, experts predict an increase of 20 engineering colleges in the Andhra region while 30 in the Rayalaseema region. "Andhra-based managements are expected to set up colleges in the region," said an expert.

However, Intermediate college owners are not too upset at the prospect of bifurcation as it would usher in new opportunities in the Telangana region. "Telangana region has only 1,500 intermediate colleges out of a total of 4.500 and hence there is scope for expansion. There will be an increase in the number of students coming to study in Hyderabad as hitherto most Class X passouts used to move to colleges in Guntur and Vijayawada," said P Madhusudan Reddy of Government Junior College Management Association. The region, however, has 398 out of 824 government engineering colleges.

The Seemandhra region would also see an increase in the number of universities. "All three central universities are located in Hyderabad. The Centre will now have to set up new universities in Seemandhra region," said an official from Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education.

The region will also need national institutes, including the Indian Institute of Technology, National Institute of Technology besides private institutes like Symbiosis and Tata Institute of Social Sciences to set base in major cities.

The redistribution of educational resources would only be beneficial for students, educationists said. "Bifurcation would be a more equalized distribution of educational institutions across the three regions," said G Haragopal, an educationist and professor at the University of Hyderabad.

Courtesy: Times of India