AP neglects polytechnics, says CAG report

The intake ratio of diploma holders to graduate engineers in Andhra Pradesh is 1:4. In other words, it has four engineering seats available to one diploma seat. This scenario is in complete reversal of AICTE norms according to which the ratio between the diploma and graduate engineering seats should be 4:1.

While skewed ratio of diploma holders to graduate engineers is because a large number of private engineering colleges have come up in the last 10 years, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in a report said this was also because the government lacked interest in enhancing the diploma seats. CAG observed this skewed ratio resulted in shortage of qualified technicians in the state.

Andhra Pradesh has the largest number of engineering colleges, over 700, than any other state in the country with a total intake capacity of over 300,000 seats.

Expansion of the software industry in AP has had a direct bearing on creating demand for a large number of engineering seats though industry bodies say only 10-15 per cent of the engineering graduates produced in AP are employable in this sector. However, most of the intake in engineering colleges was sustained on the back of scholarships provided to students studying in even the professional colleges on a saturation basis when YS Rajasekhara Reddy was chief minister.

According to the statistics, between 2008 and 2012 the state government had spent Rs 9,500 crore on student scholarships, of which pre-metric scholarships accounted for just Rs 139 crore and Rs 9,369 crore was spent on post-metric scholarships, mostly towards reimbursement of tuition fee.

The ratio between diploma and graduate engineers remained constant since 2008 even after 52 new polytechnics were set up as the growth in the number of engineering colleges as well as new seats outpaced the diploma seats.

The report observed that not much has been done by the government in either strengthening the infrastructure in existing polytechnics nor in creating more number of polytechnics.

According to the report, large sums of the money given by the Centre for this purpose remained unutilised while the existing polytechnics have just 49 per cent of the total sanctioned manpower of 8,301 people. For instance, under the scheme of sub-mission on polytechnics under coordinated action of skill development, only 18 per cent of Government of India releases (Rs 11.44 crore out of Rs 61.69 crore) between 2009-2010 was utilised by the respective polytechnics.

It was also observed that the pass percentage in polytechnics has also declined.

"Of the total 24,769 students, who passed out during 2008-09 to 2010-11, only 4,672 (19 per cent) were provided apprenticeship and 3,770 (15 per cent) were employed," CAG said.

The report also stated that no efforts were made to create courses relevant to the industry.