Experiential education in engineering is the need of the hour, says AICTE president

TG Sitaram Photo credit: S. Shiva Saravanan

The nature of engineering education should change and emphasis should be placed on hands-on learning, said All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) president TG Seetharam.

Speaking at 61^St At a program organized on the occasion of National Institute of Technical Teacher Training and Research (NITTTR) Day on Sunday, he asked the institute to train teachers of second and third level engineering colleges.

Every year, AICTE produces about 1.5 million engineering graduates, making up a large number of employable engineers. Second and third level college teachers should be proficient in the use of technology. For this, it is necessary to develop high quality Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) laboratories, he said. In the age of digital engineering, the focus should be on AR, VR, generative artificial intelligence and simulation, Mr. Sitaram said.

He said that as the ban on setting up new colleges has been lifted in the coming year, more than 40 million students will opt for engineering, so they have to prepare, adding that the council will help the institute in training programs.

Usha Natesan, Director, NITTTR spoke about the history of the institution since its inception in 1964 and its efforts to set benchmarks in teacher training and capacity building and its role as a nodal center for technical teacher training.

Mr. Sitaram released a commemorative coffee table book, a report on a roadmap to improve technical education in Tamil Nadu, and a souvenir on the occasion.