Indore (Madhya Pradesh): In a major development, the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has allowed B.Tech graduate students to take admission to B.Tech as an additional degree through lateral entry other than the one already acquired.
This has come as a major reprieve to such students whose B.Tech degrees are not helping them get jobs even as their counterparts from other branches are highly employable; or those students who did not get enrolment in a branch of their choice at the time of admission. Such B.Tech students can obtain a second B.Tech degree in other disciplines in 2 to 3 years.
In a letter to vice-chancellors of technical universities and principals/directors of approved institutions, the AICTE has explained that it has been receiving requests from students regarding admission to B.Tech as an additional degree through lateral entry other than the one already acquired.
According to the AICTE, such a proposal was placed before the executive committee at its meeting held on July 13. The executive committee felt that technical universities coul facilitate such students to take admission to B.Tech /BE by allowing them to get admission at an appropriate level of the B.Tech programme in another discipline/branch of engineering.
As there is a practical component involved, students will be required to take admission to an institution/college as regulars. The university concerned will ensure this and make the necessary provisions in their statutes accordingly.
The executive committee further approved the duration for completing of the additional degree within 2 years to 3 years without compromising on the credit requirements in core discipline and attainment of learning outcomes of the new programme.
‘Over & above first discipline’
‘The executive committee approved the exemption from pursuing courses already done in the first discipline of B.Tech. The programme and such students should be appropriately guided to complete other requirements of the second discipline.'- AICTE letter
‘Make necessary statute changes’
‘The AICTE’s move is revolutionary and on the lines of the New Education Policy (NEP). This move of the AICTE is also going to give a push to the Academic Bank of Credit (ABC), which envisages as a digital bank that holds the credit earned by a student in any course’
— Prof Pratosh Bansal, faculty member, Institute of Engineering and Technology
