The closure of engineering colleges simultaneously in India is an indicative of the fact that there is a slowdown in the interest of candidates in taking up these courses because there is a diversification of career choices in the market now. Gone are the times when engineering and medicine was the only option left for students to have a flourishing career. With the evolution of technology, career choices have boomed rapidly making it feasible for people to widen their choices.

Many agencies are engaged in the establishment of various institutes of engineering and technology namely, All India Council of Technological Education (AICTE) University Grants Commission (UGC), and other provincial universities. AICTE is responsible for making policies under MHRD.

The subject of the article points towards the question that is there a way for private engineering colleges to channel their available resources without facing depreciation of assets? Yes, there is a chance for edupreneurs to keep contributing to the society. Let’s look at the possibilities

It can be analysed on various grounds in respect to reasons regarding the closure of an institution. Decision taken by the promoters to wrap up the college or failure in taking up the institution to greater heights are some of the frequently seen cases.

Facets of the closure of business

The turn of the century saw the expansion of engineering colleges which created opportunities for engineering aspirants after their 12th exams. Since the technology dominated in all spheres, there was a surge in the demand for seats in engineering institutes. Liberalization also helped in the increase of the same which gradually became the suitable career choice for everyone.

The engineering college constitutes 70% of technical education seats and rest 30% comprises of computer application, pharmacy, architecture, applied arts etc. Later on, the colleges which were outstanding started growing into ‘group of institution’ with college of pharmacy, management, design etc and others started to decline in admissions. This resulted in the group of institution shutting down their college/constituent institution which were lagging behind in admissions.

Transition to K-12 setup

The trust or societies who have decided to close their undergraduate colleges have opted to use the infrastructure to start a K-12 school. This being one of the options whereas others have transferred to various managements. On the contrary, colleges who cannot further conduct admissions for first year undergraduates but can retain the existing ones until they have completed the course witness no progress unless they decide for the conversion.

It cannot be denied that the association with a certain pedagogical culture is likely to make it hard for the management to excel in educational enterprise. Fortunately, the infrastructure would accommodate K-12 school but the curriculum depends on the promoter’s choice which leads to many factors like prior experiences or knowledge about the respective guidelines.

Running a school is a different ball game which requires a comprehensive knowledge about the pros and cons before the initiation.

Which school suits the best for college facing closure?

Those engineering colleges which have well established infrastructure and certificates of the same can apply to the District Education office to attain approval for opening a school and thereupon its affiliation with the board of education of choice.

Why to go for opening a school?

The competition that arises due to placement in colleges would be less and the seats won’t remain vacant unless there is a drawback in curriculum or teaching standards. There is a complete guarantee that the success which comes with the starting of a school is better than the marginalized engineering colleges. The number of years students commits to school education is twice the number of years a student spends in college.

Opportunities for Excellence: If the lecturers of a closed college join the school can certainly add value to the curriculum. Their experience in college would add as an advantage to increase the standards for retaining an atmosphere suitable for higher studies.

The curriculum which sets international standards are IB and Cambridge which offers advanced schooling or pre-university diplomas with an intensive academic training.

The Impact that will have on Children: The children are likely to become tech savvy and get oriented with the advanced education system. The challenge on the authorities would be to make it student-oriented by including amenities appropriate for school education.

Interdisciplinary Education: Engineering colleges incorporates specialized streams whereas school education needs to have interdisciplinary approach for multi-dimensional growth of children

Best Suitable Option: Opening an international school appears to be the best option to match the nature of higher education. It would become easier to manage the medium of instruction which is predominantly English in international schooling.

Foreign languages, technology based learning and artificial intelligence are some of the topics in international academic and non-academic curriculum.

The main idea of education is to get engaged in collaborative learning no matter if it’s a converted college. If the environment provided is convenient for student’s holistic development, they would prosper in greater heights.