Managements of engineering colleges in the region say they feel relieved, pointing to robust admission season.
After the release of the Tamil Nadu Engineering Admission 2020 notification on July 16, registrations have been in the range of one lakh and there are possibilities for colleges to achieve the numbers required for sustaining affiliation for the courses, principals said.
Fortunately for the affiliated colleges, the pandemic was a blessing in disguise at least in one aspect. Inspection of affiliated colleges by Anna University, which usually result in a directive for reduction in student intake, had to be put off. The university issued a communication in May stating that inspection panels would be sent to verify data provided to it by the colleges after start of academic activities.
The mandate of the committees is to verify fulfilment of requirements for existing courses offered and additional courses/variation in intake opted by the college as per norms and standards, curricula, and syllabi of Anna University.
The colleges, nevertheless, were ready with the data: summary sheet of faculty members working in the college duly attested by the Principal; details of library books and journals in prescribed format; and details of laboratory requirements for all the semesters for the BE/B.Tech/B.Arch/ M.E., M.Tech/M.C.A., MBA programmes as applicable to the semester concerned.
According to a principal, the inspection committees suggest reduction in intake for certain programmes if they find any shortcomings in requirements. The colleges will, in turn, face a challenging situation of either closing down the programme due to non-viability or end up incurring heavy losses.
Now that the institutions can proceed with admissions as per last year’s seat allocations, colleges that are in a dismal financial situation will be able to overcome survival challenges, another principal said.
Survival of a handful of colleges in Tiruchi region of Anna University would have been at stake if not for postponement of the inspection. One private management has already closed one of its two colleges, sources said.
According to the records of the Centre for Affiliation of Institutions, Anna University, there are 74 affiliated colleges in Region II - Tiruchi, encompassing Ariyalur, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Perambalur, Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Tiruchi and Tiruvarur districts.
Tiruchi district accounts for 28 affiliated colleges, followed by 12 in Pudukottai district, 11 in Thanjavur district, six each in Nagapattinam and Perambalur districts, five in Cuddalore district, and three each in Ariyalur and Tiruvarur districts.
