'Study engineering for free'; Kerala's self-financing colleges come up with magnanimous offer

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Self-financing colleges have come up with a magnanimous offer that will help students study engineering on full scholarship without paying a single rupee. Other offers include a 3-year full scholarship covering up to 90 per cent of the fees.

The sudden jump to adopt scholarships is a stratagem to lure back more students to the engineering field. The fee waiver is to avoid losing NBA accreditation as presently the condition is concerning in colleges as more than 25,000 seats remain unfilled. With zero fees and scholarships, the students are provided with a massive opportunity to learn the knack of the trade in elite colleges in the state.

According to the Supreme Court order, management can make admissions in up to 30 vacant seats. All those who have studied Physics and Mathematics subjects and have 45 per cent marks in 12th standard can get admission even if they do not have the entrance qualification.

Polytechnic diploma holders can also get admission to BTech 3rd semester without 'LET' entry qualification. College management in other states tried similar strategies to fill the vacant seats but the move did no wonders.

More than half of the seats in self-financing colleges are now vacant. Admission is less than 20 per cent in 40 colleges. There are many colleges where children under ten are admitted. In self-financing colleges, many batches are rejected for poor strength and the available students are transferred to other colleges.

Normally, a fee of up to Rs 99,000, a special fee of Rs 25,000 and a refundable deposit of Rs 1.5 lakh are charged for management seats in self-financing colleges. A fee of Rs 75,000 and a deposit of Rs 1 lakh for every seat is taken in 14 colleges of the Catholic Engineering College Management Association.