Nine engineering colleges shut shop in Bengaluru as demand for courses nosedive

Bengaluru: As many as 14 engineering colleges in the State have shut shop in the last five years, due to lack of admissions.

Every year the demand for engineering course is decreasing and the number of vacant seats is increasing. Around 30,000 engineering seats had no takers in 2021.

In the face this grim scenario, engineering colleges are finding no other way than to shut down unable to pay salaries to staff and provide facilities to students. Out of the 14 colleges that downed the shutters, nine are from Bengaluru.

Data from Visvesvaraya Technical University has revealed that during 2020-21, the maximum number of colleges -- six were closed due to the increase in the number of Covid infections. There are 208 engineering colleges under purview of the Visvesvaraya Technical University (VTU) in the State. Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) fills government quota seats in government and private engineering colleges. Over 60,000 seats used to be available for admissions by KEA every year. However, with colleges closing year after year, the number of vacant seats is increasing.

Most of the engineering colleges in the State have more than two branches in the same area as part of their strategy to grab more number of students under different names. But this has boomeranged as this has led to mushrooming of seats and fall in demand for engineering courses. Low placement, lack of infrastructure, additional fee burden are the other reasons for low enrollment rate.

VTU Chancellor Karisiddappa said, "Some colleges are able to attract students despite lack of infrastructure. The Local Inquiry Committee (LIC) has recommended the closure of such colleges."