Engineering seats remain vacant

HYDERABAD: Even as large a number of engineering seats remained vacant after the second phase of Eamcet counseling, students are looking beyond the well-trodden path for viable career options. “Most of the students I know opted for courses like Bachelor in Business Management (BBM) and other degree courses. The strength of juniors in our college this year is almost half of the total available seats,” says Pakki Asha, a final year B.Tech student of Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) of a local college.While most of the big colleges managed to fill in cent per cent seats, several new colleges have slashed the fee for management quota seats to woo the students.Political instability in the state has also prompted many students to seek options outside Andhra Pradesh.“The first phase of Eamcet counselling was delayed because of Telangana agitation. The fact that the admissions for engineering colleges in other states preceded Eamcet has made it difficult for me to wait for the results. I chose to opt out of Eamcet counselling though I would have surely made it through one of the reputed colleges in Hyderabad,” says K Sai Supraja Rao, who has enrolled in Electronics and Instrumentation course at SRM College in Chennai.“The disruption of classes due to T stir will surely affect our future and placement opportunities,” she said.Spot admissions for convener quota seats on October 15 is unlikely to make a difference in the situation according to P. Rajeshwar Reddy, general secretary of Consortium of Engineering College Management Association (CECMA).“The T agitation was only a part of the entire problem. This year the number of MPC students were less leading to fewer students applying for the entrance exam. Further, 50,000 seats were added this year to the existing seats and hence the seats outnumbered the students. Though students from AP can seek admission to colleges in other states, the reverse does not hold good as Government Order 16 states that 85 per cent of the seats be allotted only to local students,” he said.As supply of seats outnumbered demand this year due to various reasons, the college managements can only hope that the AICTE does not approve of any more seats as such a move will only further worsen the situation.