Where do engineering students go for internship or training to complete their projects – a mandatory requirement to complete their degree? If your answer is construction companies, manufacturing firms or software companies, well, the answer is only partially true.
The students also go to people who sell project – yes, sell.
For anywhere between Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 50,000 the students buy the projects from project consultants, who operate out of small rooms in certain pockets in the city.
Sources in the know say that the consultants offer projects for students of computer science, information technology, electronics and communication and electrical and electronics engineering disciplines on embedded systems, VLSI, wireless sensors, simulation-based projects using MATLAB, LABVIEW, robotics, internet of things, power electronics, control systems and a few other areas.
The students, who do not get into companies or factories for internship or training or those who are simply unwilling to learn reach out to those consultants, who first offer them abstracts of a few projects for their consideration. After discussion, the consultants work on the project on students’ behalf and not only hand over the project document but also tutor the students for three or four days so as to enable them successfully attend the viva-voce.
The consultants share the same project with students from different colleges by making changes that are only cosmetic, or tweak old projects so as to meet the students’ needs, the sources say.
Students who do not want to be named say that they approach the centres for assistance because not all students get into factories or companies for internship. Those who don't get in are left with little choice but to approach the centres. They study the abstracts, discuss with the consultants and, sometimes, visit the centres to work alongside the programmers there.
Faculty in the colleges say that however smart the students are they have ways and means to detect if the project has been bought. They say that while evaluating projects before they are being presented for viva voce, they questions the students individually, speak about each group member's contribution and the answers will reveal the truth.
To prevent the students from approaching consultants, colleges place students in companies after talking to them, says Sudha Manoharan, Principal, Sri Eshwar College of Engineering.
The faculty co-ordinator for projects also monitor the projects on a daily basis so as to prevent students from presenting the project after buying them from consultants.
R.S. Kumar, Principal, Kumaraguru College of Technology, says colleges do a thorough review of the project to detect ‘bought projects’.
