If placements are a problem, just shut down: Partha tells pvt Engg colleges

Kolkata: Expressing his concern over placements in some of the private engineering colleges in the state, Education minister Partha Chatterjee said on Tuesday that those failing to provide placements should close down.

"I should love to have an idea about your placement. Those who will not be able to provide placements should close down. You are teaching 2,000 students and even if 20 of them are not getting placements, this is not done. Churning out unemployed engineers is not desirable. You should not complain about work culture, it exists very much in Bengal. The atmosphere in the state is congenial, if you are unable to produce human assets through your students then no one will forgive you," Chatterjee said in a strong message to the private engineering colleges while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the three-day pre-counselling fair organised by Association of Professional Academic Institutions (APAI) at Netaji Indoor Stadium. He also maintained that a private group should not go about opening one branch after another particularly if it has fared poorly in placements. "You should have to watch out whether your students are employable. Have one or two branches instead of going for five but focus on the creation of jobs. Private engineering colleges have to create a confidence level among the students about the quality and standard of education. Institutions like Jadavpur University, IIT Kharagpur, IIEST Shibpur have been able to create a sense of confidence among budding engineers that if they seek admission there, they will end up with a high employment potential," the minister added.

He also announced that the Higher Education department is setting up a coaching facility of international standards exclusively for aspirants of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS) examinations. "We will rope in experts even from other states for imparting quality education. We have the merit and we have to elevate this to the international level," Chatterjee added.

He also maintained: "We have a provision that meritorious students who are unable to pursue higher studies due to lack of funds would be provided scholarships. If we receive these applications, we shall be able to have an idea of the extent of scholarships that can be provided."