Friday, Sep 19, 2008
Ponmudy cites abolition of entrance test, cut in qualifying marks as reasons

Tiruchi: The abolition of the entrance examination, coupled with the lowering of the qualifying marks by five per cent for the backward sections, has resulted in a phenomenal increase in the number of rural students entering engineering colleges in the State, Minister for Higher Education K. Ponmudy said on Thursday.

Inaugurating the Dr. Kalaignar Arts and Science College at Lalgudi, a constituent college of Bharathidasan University, he said the number of rural students joining engineering colleges had increased from 18,000 during 2005-06 to 50,500 this year. The number of engineering colleges had also gone up correspondingly, from 235 to 353. The number of seats was poised to exceed the one-lakh mark from the current 95,808. Barring a handful of colleges that were under watch to prevent commercialisation, most engineering institutions were eager to admit students for amounts even lesser than the government-specified fee of Rs.32,500, since there were 7,000 vacancies even after the counselling ended.


Thanks to the 3.5 per cent reservation for the minorities in the backward class quota of 30 per cent, the number of Muslim students admitted to engineering colleges had gone up from 610 to 2,565, and that of Christian students from 861 to 2,757. In arts and science colleges, the introduction of shift system had facilitated admission of 6,74,486 during 2007-08, compared with 5,68,226 during 2005-06, Mr. Ponmudy said

Fifty out of the 67 government arts and science colleges were started when Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi was at the helm, he said. Since he assumed office 2.5 years ago, the number of arts and science colleges had gone up from 670 in 2005 to 860 and that of polytechnics from 212 to 264, and sanction had been obtained from the Centre for setting up the Central University at Tiruvarur, the Indian Institute of Management in Tiruchi and a World Class University in Coimbatore.

Presiding over the function, Transport Minister K.N. Nehru said the new college would be a boon to the people of Lalgudi that already has an agricultural engineering college, a cooperative polytechnic and a women’s ITI. Forest Minister N. Selvaraj said the industrialisation of Tamil Nadu was a corollary to the increase in higher educational opportunities.

B.A. Tamil, B.Com, B.B.A., B.Sc. Computer Science and B.C.A. will be offered in the new college, said M. Ponnavaikko, Vice-Chancellor, Bharathidasan University. Classes will begin on October 10.