It would be fair to state that the higher education sector in Andhra Pradesh is skewed towards engineering as a large number of students drift towards different branches of engineering after completing intermediate courses.
Over the years, the increase in demand for engineering courses has been directly proportional to an increase in the number of seats offered by engineering colleges, especially in the private sector.
However, delays in the counselling process for admissions in said colleges have been concerning for the management of the institutes in the State. The fact that the neighbouring Telangana has already issued a notification for starting the first phase of counselling for admissions in engineering colleges from June 27, adds to the concern.
Factors like quality of education, placement opportunities, brand recognition and diverse campus environment are some of the key factors that prompt students to migrate to other states for admissions. A significant number of them are also believed to be shifting to other states due to the delay in the counselling schedule announcement in Andhra Pradesh.
In this light, members of the Andhra Pradesh Private Engineering Colleges Managements’ Association on Sunday urged the Chairman of Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) K. Hemachandra Reddy to expedite the counselling process for the academic year 2024-25. The delay not only affects the enrolment in engineering colleges but also leads to stress and financial burden on students and their parents, they argue.
‘Robust enrolment’
Speaking about other benefits of early commencement of classes, they say it would prevent student migration and retain more students in the local colleges, which in turn would contribute to a robust enrolment.
“The engineering colleges in the State have collectively increased the intake capacity by adding 50,000 additional seats, compared to the previous year,” said Vasireddy Vidyasagar, president of the Association.
This year, the APSCHE had to reschedule the dates of A.P. Engineering, Agriculture and Pharmacy Common Entrance Test (EAPCET)-2024 and A.P. Post-Graduate Common Entrance Test (PGCET)-2024 due to overlap of dates with the schedule for general elections. The counselling for admissions in engineering colleges in the State is tentatively scheduled for July, according to sources.
