AICTE calls for course approvals for AY 2023-24

Hyderabad: The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), which is the apex regulator of technical education, has called upon the institutions to submit applications for course approvals for the academic year 2023-24, despite receiving several complaints and no sign of redressals. The faculty has been raising the issue of underpayment and non-payment of salaries for the past couple of years, and numerous representations from

Telangana have been sent to the council requesting it to take necessary action against the erring institutions. Similarly, students have also raised issues about the troubles they have faced. However, except for routine communications to the institution, state technical education, and affiliating university authorities, the council has not been able to resolve many of the problems being faced, says A Santhosh Kumar, the state president of the Telangana Schools and Technical College Employees Association (TSTCEA).

In addition, colleges have been running the show in gross violation of

AICTE norms, without maintaining the student-teacher ratio. Although the apex regulator reportedly avoids responsibility after giving approvals to various courses, issues regarding understaffing, lack of infrastructure as per the AICTE norms, and other irregularities have been brought to the notice of the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad (JNTU-H). However, each legal entity that is to be regulated and oversee the implementation of regulations to ensure standards and quality of education has been washing away their hands by giving approvals and affiliations to run new courses, closure of old ones, and conversion of courses by private colleges, he added.

The AICTE itself, in its latest approval circular for the academic year 2023-24, stated that universities and institutions deemed to be universities have taken partial approvals, however, they were withdrawn. Following this, from the ensuing academic year, there will be no grant of partial approvals.