No plan to open new engineering colleges in Karnataka: Minister

Karnataka Higher Education Minister CN Ashwath Narayan said around 50-75 per cent seats are lying vacant in three government colleges in Vijayapura district alone. 

Karnataka Higher Education Minister CN Ashwath Narayan said Karnataka will not open new government engineering colleges due to low demand for engineering courses. Responding to a query by BJP MLA Ramesh Bhusnur who sought a new government engineering college in his constituency, Narayan said, “Engineering colleges in the state have recorded less admissions that is why we are not planning to open new engineering colleges. Around 50-75 per cent seats are lying vacant in three government colleges in Vijayapura district alone." 

He said currently, the government is focusing on improving the existing engineering colleges by providing them with basic infrastructure as per norms of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).  

23,000 engineering seats vacant in Karnataka 

A whopping 23,000 engineering seats are still lying vacant at various colleges in Karnataka. The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) conducted three rounds of counselling to fill up engineering seats. After the completion of two official rounds, the state government sought permission from the Supreme Court to extend the last date for engineering admissions and held a second extended round (third round) of counselling till December 31, 2021, to fill up the vacant seats, but to no avail. According to the KEA data, the number of engineering seats going vacant has been the highest in the past five years.  
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