In what can be a bold yet necessary move, India’s apex advisory body AICTE is all set to drop courses that have not much to offer from their list. Instead, they will be dishing out courses like Artificial Intelligence(AI), Data Sciences, Quantum Computing, Blockchain and other such emerging areas.
With reports suggesting that over 60 per cent of engineers graduating from engineering institutions across the country remain “unemployable” each year, the need to bridge the skill gap between academics and industry has never been more desperate.
“The AICTE will not allow new conventional disciplines with low employment potential from the academic year 2020-21,” Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank told the Lower House in a written reply to a member’s question. The analytics and data science scene in India has seen a spurt of growth over the past five years.
As AI looks poised to take over many industrial jobs, it is utmost necessary to supplement the next generation of youth with a curriculum that prepares them for the future.
“Engineering students are being trained so that they can be a part of the Make-in-India initiative of the government,” Nishank said while replying to supplementary questions during the Question Hour.
Top institutes like IISc Bangalore, IIIT Hyderabad and several other IITs are already offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses in AI. Now, with AICTE’s move, India’s objective to become a global hub for technical brilliance has solidified.
