The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has unveiled its policies on student internships, examination reforms and training of technical teachers.
Laying down the roadmap for major changes in engineering courses, AICTE recommended that students pursuing bachelor’s degree in engineering have to undergo at least 600 to 700 hours of internships which would earn them credits. The regulator also suggested testing a student’s ability to apply knowledge rather than cram facts through examinations. It has also given the nod for open book exams.
In its revised guidelines, AICTE directed that technical teachers have to undergo an induction course at the time of joining and also keep themselves updating as they progress. According to officials, the policies released by human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar, are focussed on improving employability.
According to the AICTE’s Internship policy document, a minimum of 14-20 credits of internship or entrepreneurial activities may be counted towards B Tech programme and 10-14 credits for the three year diploma course. This will result in about 600-700 hours of total internship duration for B Tech students and 450 to 500 for diploma students.
The AICTE has also suggested an initial induction programme for teachers and updation of their skill set through in-service training programmes.
