Bengaluru: Proposing a redistribution of seats in engineering courses under a “zero-sum” principle — which ensures no increase or decrease in total seats — an expert committee appointed by the state govt has recommended a recalibration of technical education according to industry demand. The committee, headed by Prof S Sadagopan, former director of International Institute of Information Technology-Bangalore (IIIT-B), has proposed a nine-step annual rebalancing formula to redistribute seats across disciplines based on market demand, placement outcomes, and vacancy trends. It has called for curbing the unchecked surge in computer science (CS) engineering while nudging institutions to diversify into emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, and cybersecurity.TOI reported on the govt’s move to regulate the surge in demand for certain engineering courses in its edition dated Dec 17, 2025.The committee has suggested capping seats across disciplines — limiting courses to a maximum of 900 seats and linking any expansion beyond 300 seats to strong accreditation. It has proposed a freeze on CS seats, along with a phased 17% reduction starting from the 2026-27 academic year. These seats will be reassigned to ‘CORE+AI’ branches. “Institutions with strong placement records will continue to sustain demand-driven seat allocations, while underperforming programmes will face gradual reductions triggered by persistent vacancy trends,” the committee noted. While 2026-27 will be treated as a “hold year,” major adjustments are expected to begin from the 2027-28 academic cycle after analysing admission data.“Any reduction of seats in one discipline must be offset by a corresponding increase in another, ensuring transparency and strict compliance with sanctioned capacity,” the committee stated. Institutions exceeding seat thresholds, particularly in CS and related streams, will be required to submit restructuring plans for sub-branches such as AI/ML, data science, and cybersecurity, with phased accreditation targets.AI syllabus in all streams The committee recommended that the Karnataka Examinations Authority and private deemed universities integrate a CORE+AI curriculum across all engineering streams, embedding AI/ML as an analytical layer alongside core subjects. Mandatory project-based learning in every semester is expected to enhance employability, with a target to increase industry-ready graduates from 22,000 to over 75,000 annually by 2030. Additionally, institutions with vacancy rates exceeding 40% over two consecutive admission cycles will face reduced intake.
