AP, TS churning out unemployable techies

With the quality of education deteriorating in engineering colleges of the Telugu states, several unemployable graduates are left in the lurch

Several engineering colleges in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are looking to fold as the once coveted career choice is rapidly losing its sheen. Close to 70 per cent of the latest batch of engineering students failed to secure jobs even as the market branded them unemployable. The grim scenario has now forced parents, employers and stakeholders to go to the root of the problem. While many believe that the ease with which engineering colleges acquire permissions has led to the deterioration of the system, experts lament that EAMCET(Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test) is the primary culprit. The reputed engineering institutions of the country like IITs and NITs set high benchmarks for students.

Negative marks are awarded for wrong answers and the system of evaluation ensures that candidates are on their toes and that only the most deserving ones cross the finish line. EAMCET in comparison seems uninspiring. The test has 160 multiple choice questions and imposes no negative marks for wrong answers. Therefore anyone willing to try his luck is assured of some points in the exam merely by dint of probability. In what is considered as a competitive selection method, there is no process of elimination, rue experts. This defective system thereby picks even the most undeserving candidates, who have many institutions to choose from. What worsens the situation is the fact that most of these colleges are not equipped to impart any quality education. Qualified faculty is scarce. “Sometimes, former students who fail to secure jobs in the market come back to the college to teach”, says an engineering student from Vishakapatnam.

The evaluation system of the universities is also to blame. With a poorly formulated and rarely revised method of assessment, even those learning by rote can graduate with ease. As T H Chowdhary, former IT Adviser to government of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, said, the present lot of B. Tech engineers is certified but not qualified. There are ways to side-step the much needed process of learning by way of cheap guides and all-in-one books that condense the syllabus without elaborating on concepts. Even former graduates believe that most of the universities do not test the concepts of students but base their marks on quantum rather than the relevance of content or quality. Experts rue that the improper system of university certification is the root cause of this ailment.

While parents, students, faculty and even the board members of colleges are aware of the loopholes in the system, most are only too keen to exploit them. Even as employers lament that a majority of the engineers are not market-ready, companies like TCS, Infosys and CTS are only willing to set aside time and money to train candidates who possess the degree. The engineering colleges in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are in dire need of an extensive overhaul. A fool proof evaluation system is the only way to filter the worthy candidates, who can be trained to enter a competitive job market.