Bengaluru: The govt formed a committee headed by former International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIIT-B) director S Sadagopan to review student intake in engineering courses across the state.The committee was asked to study and submit a report on the intake for computer science (CS) and allied programmes, and revising the curriculum of basic engineering courses to suit industrial and employment needs. The committee was also asked to recommend on the need for any incentive measures to attract students to core engineering programmes. The committee has to submit the report in one month.It may be recalled that minister for higher education MC Sudhakar has been thinking of capping the drastic intake in CS seats since 2024. The govt order appointing the committee noted that more than 9,000 seats in computer science and related disciplines remained unallocated for academic year 2025-26. Additionally, a large number of students graduating in CS engineering in recent years were becoming unemployed due to lack of job opportunities, it observed.“The admission rate in basic engineering courses such as mechanical, civil and electrical engineering is decreasing significantly. It was observed that these engineering courses reached the stage of self-closure in some private universities and engineering colleges in the state. It is essential to revive the core engineering courses by taking steps to make them employable and attractive,” the govt order read.“Earlier, engineering colleges functioning under the jurisdiction of the state’s higher education department were popular nationally and internationally for providing high-quality technical education. However, according to recent reports, it is a worrying development that only 17% of engineering graduates in the state are getting jobs,” it said.Other members of the committee include Jagadish, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru; S Gopalakrishnan, founder, SciVision Centre of Excellence Pvt Ltd, Bengaluru; S Vidyashankar, vice-chancellor, Visvesvaraya Technological University; and industry leaders.
