AICTE engineering qualifications

Context:

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) — the technical education regulator — has made Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics (PCM) optional for students who wish to pursue technical courses like biotechnology, textile or agriculture engineering at the undergraduate level. However, PCM remains mandatory for most engineering subjects like computer science.

• The revised regulation is in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) vision that encourages flexibility in the choice of subjects.

Latest guidelines:

• An aspirant is expected to have scored at least 45% in any three subjects out of the list of 14 provided in the new handbook, which are Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Electronics, Information Technology, Biology, Informatics Practices, Biotechnology, Technical Vocational subject, Engineering Graphics, Business Studies and Entrepreneurship.

• The changes will put onus on engineering institutes for specifying if students need to compulsory study Maths and Physics or other subjects are enough.

• The engineering institutes can offer bridge courses to students in case they have not studied Physics or Mathematics in pre-university.

Previous norms

• A student pursuing engineering should have passed high school with Physics and Mathematics as compulsory subjects.

• The third subject could have been one from a list of 11 subjects including Chemistry, Biotechnology, Biology, Computer Science, Information Technology, Informatics Practices etc.

• A general category candidate should have secured at least 45% overall in the three subjects.

About AICTE:

• AICTE was initially established in November 1945
• It is an advisory body for promoting development in India in a coordinated and integrated manner.
• AICTE comes under the Ministry of Human Resource Development
• AICTE also conducted surveys on the facilities that were available for technical education.
• It attained the statutory status in the year 1987 and is a national-level council for technical education.

Bureaus under AICTE

• The All India Council For Technical Education consists of eight major bureaus, namely: Research, Institutional and Faculty Development Bureau, Planning and Coordination Bureau, Academic Bureau, University Bureau, Administration Bureau, Approval Bureau, Finance Bureau and e-Governance Bureau.
• AICTE also comprises 10 Board of Studies that deals with technician, vocational, undergraduate engineering, postgraduate engineering and research, architecture, town and country planning, pharmacy, management, applied arts and crafts, hotel management and catering technology education.