Even after the second round of counselling for the Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions (TNEA), more than 1 lakh engineering seats remain vacant in Tamil Nadu. With only the third and final round remaining, concerns are growing about the future of engineering education in the state.
Over 110 colleges have filled only single-digit numbers of seats, and 30 colleges have been unable to fill any seats. Experts warn that such low enrollment numbers could jeopardize the quality of education offered in these institutions. Will the ruling DMK government in Tamil Nadu address this pressing issue? Can they ensure adequate student enrollment in its engineering programs?
1 Lakh+ Engineering Seats Vacant
At the end of the second round of TNEA counselling, over one lakh engineering seats remained vacant in Tamil Nadu. However, the final round is underway until August 25.
Around 110 of the 443 colleges could fill seats in the single digits. 30 other colleges in the state could not fill any seats.
K.M. Muthuvel, an academic from Tiruchi and Director of the Centre for Policy and Development Studies, spoke to IANS. He said if only a handful of students were joining these colleges, it would be challenging to deliver quality education.
He said that of the total 1,62,392 engineering seats available in Tamil Nadu,17,769 were filled after the first round of counselling, and 61,082 were filled after the second round of counselling, leaving 1,01,310 seats vacant.
Around 93,000 students are expected to attend the third round of counselling. Muthuvel said that as per the trend seen in the past years, around 55,000 to 60,000 seats will be vacant this academic year.
Academic consultant Manonmani told IANS that in 2023, Anna University closed down some colleges due to poor enrolment. She said universities have to look into the problem of the student shortage and devise a solution. In TNEA 2023, more than 50,000 seats remained vacant.
This story is based on an IANS-syndicated feed.
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