Inside story – 2 PTUs in Punjab decreases brand value of original PTU

Ferozepur, June 26, 2017 : The setting up of a second  Technical University – by bifurcating Punjab Technical University – PTU – in the name of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University at Bathinda and IK Gujral Punjab Technical University,Kapurthala, for political gains only, by the previous government led-by SAD-BJP has created confusion and decreased the brand value of the original IKG PTU at Jalandhar.

The Punjab Government is already facing financial crisis and with the announcement to establish the first Skill Development University of North India at Chamkaur Sahib which will put an extra burden on the government exchequer.

The gravity of the situation can be measured by the fact that around 30 colleges in the state have not received a single admission form. As per the information, as of today, less than 20 per cent  seats, have been filled so far against the intake availability in around 50,000, making it difficult for the survival of the technical institutes in the state.

The newly formed Congress government has initiated to revoke various decisions taken by the SAD-BJP government including the technical universities.

The decision to set up a university at Bathinda in 2014 on the campus of Giani Zail Singh Engineering College taken by the Badals for political gains alone, could not prove fruitful in the recent Assembly elections.

As per the MRSPTU Bathinda Act passed in Punjab assembly in 2015, colleges in Bathinda, Barnala, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Mansa, Moga, Muktsar, Patiala and Sangrur districts were transferred to this university.

The IKG-PTU was left with 170 colleges, including 66 engineering, 20 pharmacy, 78 management, four architecture and two hotel management colleges, while the Bathinda varsity got 103 colleges, including 41 engineering, 13 pharmacy, 46 management and three architecture colleges.

Going by the statistics, as available on AICTE website, Uttar Pradesh has only one University with intake of 1,56,033 seats whereas the final enrollment was only 58,355. 

At the same time, in Punjab, against the total intake of 47,253, the final enrollment for 2016-17 was 19,062 against 23,904 in 2012-13 and even in certain Punjab Institute of Technologies (PIT) in Punjab, opened by the PTU in Punjab, the admissions were nominal even countable on fingers in certain institutes.  The enrollment graph is on the downward trend for the last so many years.

On the basis of available data, there are no logics in retaining two technical universities in Punjab.  In UP, only one technical university is working with three times enrollment than Punjab.  Creating of another technical university in Punjab was only to get political gain without going into its merits.

Instead of opening another Skill Development University, there is no need to open another university as the existing infrastructure in the state is already under-utilization and the students can be trained in various skills, as per requirement in the market by strengthening the PTU, Polytechnic Colleges and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).

The proposal mooted by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to make two-year diploma courses at the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) equivalent to Class 12 to ensure greater participation in skill training programme has got applause from all quarters. 

If this proposal is put through, it will definitely produce big numbers of post-school, technically trained professionals.  The students can also join a degree course directly.

Technical experts, on anonymity are of the view that the government should be serious in planning while opening new colleges in future and sincerely think over to improve the admission first in government colleges, followed by private colleges especially when the enrollment against the existing intake capacity is too low.

Another Research Scholar frankly opined that  instead of opening  more technical colleges, strengthening of infrastructure and faculty in the existing set-up is more important to produce the best pass-outs to invite the Indian and Multi-national companies for placement in the campus itself.