In an effort to streamline and improve the quality of technical education, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has issued show cause notice to over 1,000 engineering colleges in the country, including 140 in the State.
Talking to reporters at Anna University on Tuesday, S.S. Mantha, Chairman, AICTE, said the notices were sent for reasons including lack of infrastructure, functioning without proper land documents and on temporary locations, not paying salary to faculty as per norms and so on.
Serious about maintaining the quality, the AICTE has asked the institutions not following the norms why the approval should not be withdrawn.
After obtaining reply from the institutions, the AICTE will take action, he said.
The council has recommended criminal action against nine engineering colleges across the country.
Explaining the new rules for grant of approvals for technical institutions to self-financing colleges, Prof. Mantha said the AICTE has introduced the web-enabled system and there was no need to involve middlemen for obtaining approval.
The institutions could directly correspond with the AICTE headquarters and regional offices and not send a third party.
To a question on the possibility of a nationwide entrance test for engineering education, Prof. Mantha said the council would support such a proposal and consider it in future as the students need not be burdened with too many tests.
