Debunking the notion: Why engineering studies in India are far from dead
Here’s a quick question: What is common to former German chancellor Angela Merkel, British comedian Rowan ‘Mr Bean’ Atkinson, former president of India APJ Abdul Kalam, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, supermodel Cindy Crawford, first man on the moon Neil Armstrong, India’s richest businessman Mukesh Ambani, Delhi's chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Bollywood heartthrob Vicky Kaushal, and Bloomberg founder and CEO and three-time New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg? The answer: They are all engineers. This eclectic list serves as a counter-narrative, challenging the notion that engineering no longer opens doors to opportunity, particularly in India.
This sounding of the death knell for engineering studies is based on two trends: a reduction in the number of engineering schools in India, and the rising number of engineering graduates who are unable to find jobs through campus placements after finishing their degrees. According to a report by Mint, the number of active engineering colleges in India offering undergraduate courses dropped by over 9% from 6,450 in 2017-18 to 5,868 in 2023-24.
Simultaneously, the share of engineering students among all undergraduates declined from 17.3% to 11.9%. The reports also added that 427,984 of the 478,096 students who graduated with an engineering degree in 2022-23 secured employment.
But this downturn in numbers needs contextualizing. Many of the shuttered institutions failed to offer quality education and were primarily located in tier 2 and tier 3 towns without robust job markets.
In contrast, premier engineering institutions in India, offering seats via the highly competitive Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), continue to see intense demand. As per National Testing Agency figures, 11,13,325
. Read more on livemint.com
