The Engineering College Seats (as also Medical Seats) were limited in late 80s and early 90s. During 1980s, Kerala had only 6 Engineering Colleges and admission was through merit, expect for 15% reservation of seats in two Private Colleges under Management Quota. You are assured of an Engineering Seat only if you score above 85% in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry in Pre Degree Course (equal to the current +2). The Engineers who passed out of these Colleges were taken in as Graduate Engineer Trainees by Companies, and within an year of Probation, they were at Officer Cadre.
I had lot of apprehension when the Self Financing College boom happened in all the States except Kerala in 1990s, and Kerala too followed suit in 2000's as it was its students migrating to other States and wanted a share of the pie for itself.
Businessmen and Politicians, who knew nothing about education, made it a Business, and as on date Kerala alone has 167 Engineering Colleges. Tamilnadu has 527 Engineering Colleges, Karnataka 192 and Andhra Pradesh 328 and Telengana 284!. The Total number of students that get admission every year in Engineering under graduate course is 15.53 lakhs. Hardly anyone fails in Engineering program as every college uses internal assessment to push the students through.
That most of these 15 lakhs passing out every year hardly knows anything about Engineering is another matter. I, personally know, couple of fresh engineers who didn't know what I meant when I said 'this is a half inch pipe and hence you need to buy a half inch foucet to match'. And trust me I am not an Engineer. They didn't even know how to use a spanner.
Where do these 15 lakh Engineers find jobs?
Frankly, only 7% of these Engineers are employable. And half of them go for IT jobs, irrespective of the stream chosen by them.
Less than 5% get jobs that is related to their core specialization.
A few go for higher studies, not out of choice, but because they couldn't get any jobs.
Many Engineers are not preferred by Manufacturing Companies, because they carry a chip on the shoulder, and expect to be in Officer grade from Day 1. No College counsels them as to the need to start from scratch and fight their way up, as Colleges sell dreams of high Salaries, AC Cabins, Secretary etc. If they talk about reality at the Placement Counseling Sessions, there wont be any takers for their program for the next year.
Where do they end up? A few goes back to their family business, if they have one. Most idle searching for the ideal job. A few end up teaching. Many go for Marketing.
The Manufacturing Firms, who should be thrilled in taking these Engineers, are not keen because of Automation,the need to reduce cost and to a large extent the poor attitude / unemployability of these Engineers.
But they are smart. Having got fed up with labourers, and trade unionism, the Factories are not employing Engineers and Polytechnic pass outs in the Shop Floor and pay them Rs 300 per day, way below the Minimum Wages prescribed. The clause that anyone who has worked for 90 days has to be made permanent is thrown in the wind, as these guys are taken in as Trainees!. And they are promptly dismissed after 12 months.
The Average Salary of a fresh Engineer is around Rs 8000 per month with no benefits, except PF and ESI.
The same scenario is replicated in the Education Sector. A School Teacher who has done B Ed, has to pay a fortune to get a job in a Private School and is paid pittance.
Junior Lawyers don't earn anything for the first 7-8 years.
Nurses are revolting in Kerala, because they are paid Rs 6000-7000 per month.
The plight of a MBBS doctor is also bad.
Frankly, it is not worth to spend 18 years of your life struggling with studies, if you are not paid even minimum wages that an illegal Bangladeshi labourer in India earns!
No political party talks about this as these guys don't constitute a vote bank.
If India has to be a super power economically, and a manufacturing giant, it has to ensure its human capital has the right skills - both hard and soft, and are paid adequately.
The Government should prescribe a minimum wages for various qualification. For example they can start fixing the minimum wages for a Fresh Engineering Graduate at Rs 20,000. And action should be taken against those companies that misuse the trainee system, or those that keep the Certificates as a security or use underskilled persons in a job earmarked for a skilled person.
There is an urgent need to cull those Engineering Colleges that are substandard. We just cannot afford to have unskilled Engineers and Doctors working in our midst, as the consequences of their work can be long lasting.
With Modi, who stresses on Skill India, bite the bullet.
