Despite 50% rebate in fee, core engineering subjects fail to attract students in govt. colleges

Despite the State government providing a 50% fee waiver in government engineering colleges to attract students to core engineering subjects like civil, mechanical, automobile, electrical, among others, not many have enrolled for these courses this year.

For instance, only two students have enrolled for the Civil Engineering course at the Government Engineering College in Bidar, and five in the Government Engineering College in Hassan. Nine students have enrolled for Mechanical Engineering in the same college, and only two students for Electrical Engineering in the Government Engineering College in Talakal, Koppal. 

The State government has now returned the vacant seats to the respective colleges and has asked principals to give the seats to eligible candidates who wrote CET-2025 but were unable to get a seat in the counselling. The 50% fee rebate would apply. This year, while the annual fee for other courses in government engineering colleges was ₹44,950, after a 50% rebate, it would only be ₹28,450 for core subjects.

While demand has been soaring for courses in Computer Science, Information Technology (IT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, and other emerging technologies, many new private colleges are offering courses in only these subjects and many established private colleges are shutting down courses in core subjects. 

Teachers and colleges point to trends in the job market to explain the phenomenon. “It is natural for students and parents to be attracted to courses that are said to provide more employment opportunities. While courses in emerging technologies may look attractive now, core subjects are permanent,” a principal of a government engineering college told The Hindu. 

Arguing society needs engineers trained in these core subjects as well, and that the government needs to revive these courses, he said, apart from a rebate in the fee, the government needs to make these courses updated, add modules on emerging technologies, start centres of excellence, skill development programmes, and try to bring employment opportunities.