Bengaluru: An expert panel on engineering education reforms in Karnataka has proposed differential fee structures across programmes, with lower fees for core disciplines such as mechanical, civil, electrical and electronics engineering (EEE), to revive interest in them.The new structure proposes Rs 50,000 of annual fee for mechanical engineering, Rs 60,000 for civil, Rs 40,000 for electronics and communication engineering (EEE/ECE), and Rs 70,000 for aerospace. In contrast, a govt quota seat for these disciplines at a private college currently costs between Rs 87,000 and Rs 97,000 annually. It is still not clear, though, when this new fee structure will come into effect, if accepted by the govt. The committee, led by Prof S Sadagopan, has recommended fee subsidies to encourage students to opt for core disciplines vital to industry and infrastructure. The proposal aims to make these programmes more affordable than popular streams such as computer science (CS) and information technology (IT).Beyond fee cuts, the committee has also suggested attractive financial support to boost enrolment. This includes industry-backed merit scholarships for the top 20% of students in these branches, ranging from Rs 75,000 to Rs 1.25 lakh annually. To further strengthen industry linkages, the report proposes guaranteed internships with stipends of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per month. The report prepared by the committee also points to the reasons behind lack of interest in core disciplines. While a mechanical engineering graduate from a tier 2 college earns a starting salary of Rs 3.5-4.5 lakh annually, his CS counterpart gets around Rs 5-8 lakh. Moreover, core curricula in many colleges have not been updated substantially for more than 15 years. Commenting on the proposals, M C Sudhakar, the minister for higher education, said: “In the coming years, we will be discussing and implementing various reforms.” Hub-and-Spoke Model Along with proposals for a revised fee structure, the committee also recommended a hub-and-spoke model, with 15 hub institutions designated for world-class lab upgrades, and another 150 spoke colleges earmarked that will be able to send their students to the hubs for four-six weeks annually. BOX 1: Core challenges of engineering education: (For FP)* Employability: Report points out only 17% of students find jobs * CS is oversaturated * Unregulated IT seat proliferation in pvt colleges trigger faculty exodus * Collapse of tier 2/3 colleges * Talent paucity in core engineering disciplinesBOX 2: Workforce gaps: (this can go with the Turn)* India faces workforce gap of 20,000-35,000 * State-level gap at 10,000-15,000 * Projected annual shortfall: * Aerospace and defence: 4,500-8,500 * Semiconductors and VLSI: 10,000-15,000 * Electric vehicles: 6,000-11,000 * Clean energy: 5,000-9,000 * Infrastructure: 6,000-12,000 * Biomedical devices: 2,200-4,200
