Enrollment in BTech programme down by 10%, lowest in five years: AISHE survey
Bachelor's degree programmes in engineering had the third-highest student enrollment five years ago, following only bachelor's degree programmes in arts and sciences (BA and BSc, respectively). Due to the drop in admissions over the last five years, BTech and BE programmes are now in fourth place.
FollowSurvey reports drop by 10 per cent in BTech programmes with regular (or full-time) enrollment mode. Following the Ministry of Education's All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2020-2021, enrollment dropped from 40.85 lakhs in 2016-17 to 36.63 lakhs in 2020-21.
Bachelor's degree programmes in engineering had the third-highest student enrollment five years ago, following only bachelor's degree programmes in arts and sciences (BA and BSc, respectively). Due to the drop in admissions over the last five years, BTech and BE programmes are now in fourth place. Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) now has the third-highest enrollment in the country, with 37.9 lakh students.
Undergraduate enrollment in Arts or BA courses accounts for 33.5 per cent of total enrollment in 2020-21. Science or BSc enrollment accounts for 15.5 per cent of total enrollment, followed by Commerce at 13.9 per cent and Engineering and Technology at 11.9 per cent. Following the document, 28.7 per cent of the 23.20 lakh students currently enrolled in BTech are women.
Computer engineering is the most popular engineering field among students, followed by mechanical, electronics, civil, and electrical engineering. There are now over 3,500 engineering education institutions in India. However, it has been noted that fewer students have been enrolling in various engineering courses across the country since 2012-2013.
India is one of the world's leading engineering countries, graduating over 15 lakh engineers annually. Job creation and retention are significant challenges in critical engineering areas. Following the recent NASSCOM 2019 report, only 2.5 lakh people, or about 15 per cent to 18 per cent of graduates, are securing jobs in the core engineering business. The majority of these graduates are employed in the electronic and software industries. Others work in non-engineering fields.
Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the tech industry has been slashing jobs, and this trend is accelerating across various technology industries. The bleak outlook for the global economy in 2023 has resulted in global layoffs at several technology firms. This layoff wave had already engulfed many tech companies, including Microsoft, Google, and Meta. Many Indian IT professionals who have lost their jobs in foreign countries, such as the United States, are now struggling to find new employment.
The ongoing workforce reduction in the technology industry necessitates motivating students and increasing their capacity for change adaptation and significant improvements in teaching and learning. A realistic and industry-focused approach is required to change the system and increase their employability. It is also worth noting that significant technological advances, such as AI, big data analytics, IoT, and cloud computing, necessitate the development of higher-order cognitive skills in addition to technical expertise.
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