AICTE's Initiative to Upgrade 1,000 Rural Engineering Colleges

AICTE's Initiative to Upgrade 1,000 Rural Engineering Colleges

Last Updated Sep - 03 - 2025, 11:11 AM | Source : PIB | Visitors : 18

Enhancing employability and teaching quality in underperforming rural engineering institutions.

Taking an important step towards bridge of employment qualification in India's rural engineering sector, the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has initiated an initiative to upgrade engineering colleges that perform 1,000 less. These institutes, which are mainly located in rural areas, have been identified due to old courses and weak industry relations, which have contributed to low employment rates among graduates.

The project is named Practice (Project for Advancing Critical Thinking, Industry Connect, and Employment). The initiative has been launched in collaboration between AICTE, Centre for Research in Schemes and Policy (CRISP), Leap (an initiative of IIT Madras), and Maker Bhawan Foundation, an US-based non-profit non-profit organization. With the financing of ₹ 23 crore, the objective of this initiative is to change technical education, including updated teaching practices, faculty development programs, project-based teaching, innovation, industry relations and guidance by reputed academics.

The first phase of the project has shortlisted over 500 colleges across various states and Union Territories in India. The highest number of colleges are from Tamil Nadu (128), followed by Kerala (60), Haryana (43), Andhra Pradesh (41), Telangana (36), Punjab (33), Uttar Pradesh (31), Maharashtra (29), Gujarat (25), Karnataka (17), Odisha (16), Uttarakhand (11), and West Bengal (11).

AICTE officials have expressed confidence that this initiative will double the average employment rate in the participating institutions by 2028. Its main focus will be on developing critical thinking skills, increasing engagement with industry and training the faculty in innovative teaching practices. This extensive approach aims to increase the quality of education and the employment qualification of students graduating from these rural engineering colleges.

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