Professional courses see downward trend

 -    Number of colleges more than required
-    High intake in remaining colleges
-    3,692 colleges during the 2014-15
-    Total enrollment was about 3,77,344
-    In 2015-16, number of colleges came down to 3,234,
-    In 2016-17, about 275 colleges closed down

Official data shows that students are not showing interest in professional and conventional courses including engineering, sciences, humanities and social sciences

Hyderabad: Higher education sector in Telangana seems to be witnessing a disturbing trend as students are not showing much interest in professional and conventional courses.

According to sources in the Telangana State Council for Higher Education (TSCHE), the trends are continuing for the last four years. The number of colleges in certain courses like Engineering is more than required and the intake is higher in those colleges. However, what is disturbing is that enrollments in courses having much demand earlier like bachelors and postgraduate degrees in Pharmaceutical studies are also not any better. Similarly, though there is a huge requirement of postgraduates in Engineering colleges, the enrollment is not encouraging.

As per the TSCHE data, at the time of the formation of the State, there were a total of 3,692 colleges in the higher education sector during the 2014-15 academic year. The total enrollment in these colleges was about 3,77,344 against the intake capacity of 5,23,291.

In the following academic year of 2015-16, the number of colleges has come down to 3,234 but the total intake has gone up to 5,33,112 and the total enrolments have showed an improvement with 3,99,387 students joining various courses.

Trends of the last two years show the changing preferences of students. During the 2016-17 academic year, about 275 colleges were closed down in the State. The colleges closed include Engineering, Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences in the State. With this, “The total number of colleges during the 2016-17 has stood at 2,959. Notwithstanding this, there is a sudden jump in intake, adding about 90,000 new seats during that academic year,” the sources said. But, what worries is that the number of total enrollment of students has come down to 3,76,863, during that academic year, eroding whatever improvement registered in the enrollment during the previous academic year. 

“This means the total enrollment of students in various professional and conventional courses in the State had almost receded from that of 2014-15,” said a senior official of the Higher Education department.

Continuing the similar downward trends, during the 2017-18 academic year, the number of colleges have further come down to 2,879 and the total intake capacity of higher education institutions have further gone up from 6, 24,627 during 2016-17 to 6,26,313 during the 2017-18 academic year. However, the intake of the students has come down from the previous year down to 3,76,863. But, the total enrollment of students Sciences, Arts, Humanities, Pharmacy, Education and other subjects has touched a four year low with only 3,55,305 enrolling during the 2017-18 academic year, the sources pointed out.

Speaking to The Hans India, a senior official from the Higher Education Department said, “The State stands second among the three major States with higher college density and average enrollment ratio per college as per the All India Survey of Higher Education, 2017-18.  

But, the number of students proceeding from bachelors to post graduation in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Basic Sciences and Technology touched a four-year low,” the sources pointed out.

V R C Phaniharan