No takers! Nearly 14,000 Engineering seats lie vacant in Kerala

  For Intermediate pass outs in Kerala, Engineering courses were once the most sought after option where only the smartest could get an admission. But things changed after the advent of self-financing engineering colleges. The second phase allotment list released by Commissioner of Entrance Examination in Kerala shows that the courses are now losing its glory and 13, 900 seats have no takers! 

Statistics reveal that only 10,500 students have sought admission in the 24, 400 merit seats and the trend shows there is a general hesitancy among students to apply for admission in private colleges. As many as 21 colleges have less than 30 students. Experts fear that in the absence of applicants in the merit seats, the college managements might fill students in the vacant seats by flouting the guidelines. 

Engineering merit seats: 24,400
Applicants: 10,500
Vacant seats: 13,900

Educational experts are of the view that private self-financing engineering colleges where there is not even a single student in many departments of 28 private institutions in the state better close down.The situation is likely to turn grave once the present batch of students takes the higher option in the third allotment and more seats are likely to be vacant after that. 


If mushrooming of self-financing colleges was justified by citing the logic of market demand, the same logic should be applied, and the colleges be closed shop if there is no demand, said eminent educationist Dr RVG Menon.