80,000 empty seats in engineering courses of Tamil Nadu colleges

Counselling for engineering seats nearing closed , several engineering colleges in the state have been unable to fill seats even for popular trades  like computer and electronics.

Nearly 37 colleges could not fill a single seat for electrical and electronics engineering, while the same was the case for IT in 30 institutions across the state. Several institutions have failed to fill a single seat in the computer science branch too.

While the top engineering colleges have been able to fill seats, lesser-known ones could not. This is a clear indication that there are more engineering seats than needed. Data available on Anna University's website indicates that a little less than 80,000 seats have gone vacant this academic year.

Clearly, engineering education is facing a crisis. The economic downturn has affected the intake of students. And with employability no longer assured, students are increasingly careful about choosing the course, the branch of study and the college.

Colleges that are unable to make the right pitch for students are falling by the wayside, forcing managements to put up their institutions for sale.