All India Council For Technical Education (AICTE)

AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) was first set up in November 1945. It started as an advisory group to help improve development in India in an organized way. AICTE looked at the facilities available for technical education by conducting surveys.

In 1987, AICTE became a national-level council with official authority. It now oversees and promotes technical education across the country.

Some of the highlights of AICTE are mentioned in the table below:

Also Read: UGC Full Form – University Grants Commission

Technical Education: A Historical Perspective

Engineering and Technological Education in Pre-Independence Era

The British rulers in India started technical training centers because they needed skilled workers. They needed people to build and maintain public buildings, roads, canals, and ports. They also needed trained workers for the army, navy, and survey departments.

Most high-level engineers came from Britain, especially from Cooper’s Hill College. But for lower-level jobs like craftsmen, artisans, and sub-overseers, they hired local people. These local workers were often illiterate and not very efficient.

To improve their skills, the British set up industrial schools. These schools were connected to Ordnance Factories and other engineering places. They taught basic reading, writing, arithmetic, geometry, and mechanics to make the workers better at their jobs.

Today, AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) continues this mission by overseeing technical education in India and ensuring quality training.

Even though some schools in Calcutta and Bombay were said to exist as early as 1825, the first well-documented industrial school was at Guindy, Madras, in 1842. This school was connected to the Gun Carriage Factory. Another school for training overseers was known to exist in Poona in 1854.

In response to the growth of engineering colleges in Europe and America, the British government established similar institutions in India. The first, Thomason Engineering College, was founded in Roorkee, Uttar Pradesh, in 1847, training civil engineers using resources from the Upper Ganges Canal project.

By 1856, three more colleges were established: the Calcutta College of Civil Engineering (now Bengal Engineering College), the Poona College of Engineering in Bombay, and the Guindy College of Engineering in Madras. These colleges initially offered civil engineering courses but later expanded to include degree programs and apprenticeship classes in mechanical and electrical engineering.

In 1887, the Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute in Bombay began training in various engineering disciplines. The Indian Institute of Science opened electrical engineering classes in 1915, while the University of Banaras became the first to offer degrees in mechanical, electrical engineering, and metallurgy in 1917.

Post-independence, India saw a surge in engineering colleges to meet industrial needs, and today, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) oversees technical education quality, building on the legacy of these early institutions.

Objectives of AICTE

All India Statutory Council For Technical Education (AICTE) attained the statutory status in the year 1987 under the AICTE Act. As per the National Policy of Education (1986), AICTE was established with the following objectives:

1. To plan, formulate and maintain the norms and standards by acting as a statutory authority.
2. To provide quality assurance through accreditation.
3. To monitor, evaluate and provide funding for the priority areas.
4.  Maintaining parity of certification & awards.
5. To manage and develop the technical education system of India.

National Working Group & Its Role

A National Working Group was also constituted by the Government of India under the Ministry of Human Resource Development to look into the role of AICTE for the proliferation of various technical institutions, maintenance of standards, and other related matters. The National Working Group also initiated for providing statutory authority to AICTE  along with restructuring and strengthening it with necessary infrastructure to make it more effective.

Candidates can visit the National Policy on Education (NEP 2020) page and learn more about the revised education policy released by the Union Education Ministry.

Schemes

Research & Innovation

1. National Scheme of Apprenticeship Training

The National Scheme of Apprenticeship Training is carried out by four Regional Boards of Apprenticeship/Practical Training (BOATs/BOPT) located in Mumbai, Kanpur, Chennai, and Kolkata. This program offers practical training opportunities for graduate engineers, diploma holders, and students who have completed vocational courses after 10th grade. There are about 10,000 industrial organizations participating in this scheme, following the guidelines set by the Central Apprenticeship Council (CAC), which is the main regulatory body established under the Apprentices Act of 1961.

The main goal of this scheme is to provide fresh graduate engineers, diploma holders, and vocational pass-outs with practical experience and improve their technical skills, making them more suitable for jobs in the industry.

The apprenticeship lasts for one year, and apprentices receive a monthly stipend that is shared equally between the Central Government and the employer. As of December 19, 2014, the stipend rates are Rs. 4,984 for engineering graduates, Rs. 3,542 for technicians, and Rs. 2,758 for 10+2 vocational pass-outs. Initially, the companies pay the full stipend to the apprentices and can later claim back 50% of this amount from the Central Government through the respective BOATs/BOPT.

2. Support For Distance Education & Web Based Learning (NPTEL)

To enhance technical education using technology, the Ministry of Education (MoE) launched the National Programme for Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) in 2003. This initiative aims to improve engineering education quality by developing at least 100 video courses and 115 web-based e-courses, with participation from seven IITs and IISc, Bangalore, and a budget of Rs. 20.47 crores.

The first phase focused on core undergraduate courses in five major engineering fields: Civil, Computer Science, Electrical, Electronics and Communication, and Mechanical Engineering, along with essential science and management courses. The program was officially launched on September 3, 2006, by then Education Minister Shri Arjun Singh at IIT Madras, and course materials are freely available online at nptel.ac.in

The NPTEL initiative involves over 500 faculty members and benefits engineering and physical sciences students and teachers across India. The goal is to create online course content that promotes interaction among faculty using the expertise of top academics in the country.

3. Indian National Digital Library in Engineering, Science & Technology (INDEST-AICTE) Consortium

The Ministry of Education has created the “Indian National Digital Library in Engineering Sciences and Technology (INDEST-AICTE) Consortium” to help institutions access electronic resources and databases. The Ministry provides funding for this access to centrally funded institutions, and the benefits of this subscription model are also available to all educational institutions.

AICTE-approved government and government-aided engineering colleges can access certain electronic resources with support from AICTE. Additionally, many other engineering colleges have chosen to join the consortium on their own. The consortium uses collective bargaining to negotiate better deals, allowing its members to benefit from e-journals. For more information, visit (indest.iitd.ac.in).

4. Technology Development Mission

In 1993, the Technology Development Missions (TDM) were launched at all IITs and IISc to promote a national effort in technology development with active involvement from industries. Several mission projects were identified, each with clear goals, milestones, and deliverables in areas of national importance. Most of these projects involved collaboration between two or more academic institutions and industries. Here’s how the funding for these mission areas was structured:

The Ministry of Education (MoE) funded these projects with Rs. 50 crores. Industry participants contributed around Rs. 9 crores and provided additional support through equipment, components, manpower, and hardware valued at Rs. 15 crores.

A key focus of this mission was to promote collaboration between industries and academic institutions, helping industries develop cutting-edge technology. This was the first time that mission-oriented programs were successfully implemented in partnership with industry.

The success of TDM-I was recognized at the National Steering Committee meeting of the Planning Commission on August 6, 1999, in New Delhi. TDM-I led to the development and transfer of several technologies to the industry, including:

• Automation of power distribution
• An immuno diagnostic test for AIDS
• Vaccine for Hepatitis-B
• Supercritical fluid extraction technology
• Controlled atmosphere storage technology for food grains
• The first 50 kg payload robot
• Automated monitoring systems
• Squeeze casting technology for metal matrix composite piston
• Environment friendly vapour compression heat pump assisted dryer for agricultural products, etc.

Most of the deliverables were successfully met, and the subsequent rise in industry-sponsored research at IITs and IISc indicated that the TDM-I program built confidence in the ability of Indian academic institutions to address current technology challenges and assist in developing new technologies and products. Some notable benefits from TDM-I included:

• Industry and IITs collaborated on such mission-oriented programmes for the first time
• Industry was convinced about the capabilities of IITs and IISc in solving technological problems and to undertake development of new products successfully
• Increase in the number of Industry- sponsored research at IITs and IISc
• Enhanced academic collaboration among these top Institutes

Conclusion

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) plays a crucial role in the development and regulation of technical education in India. Established in 1945 and granted statutory status in 1987, the AICTE is responsible for approving new technical institutions and courses while setting norms and standards to ensure quality education. By delegating certain powers to state governments, it facilitates the growth of diploma-level technical institutions. Additionally, AICTE actively promotes inclusivity and innovation in technical education through various schemes aimed at supporting women, individuals with disabilities, and underprivileged groups. Its commitment to fostering research and development further enhances the overall quality and accessibility of technical education in the country.