Experiential learning in engineering is need of hour, says AICTE Chairman

T.G. Sitharam
| Photo Credit: S. Siva Saravanan

The nature of engineering education must change and the emphasis must be on experiential learning, said T.G. Sitharam, Chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

Speaking at the 61^st Institution Day celebrations of the National Institute of Technical Teacher Training and Research (NITTTR) here on Sunday, he urged the institute to focus on training teachers from second and third-tier engineering colleges.

Each year, the AICTE produced around 1.5 million engineering graduates, forming the bulk of engineers who are employable. Teachers in the second and third-tier colleges must be proficient in the use of technology. To accomplish this, it was necessary to develop high-quality augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) laboratories, he added. In the era of digital engineering, the focus must be on AR, VR, generative artificial intelligence, and simulation, Mr. Sitharam said.

With the moratorium on establishing new colleges being lifted in the coming years, it is necessary to be prepared as another 4 crore students will choose engineering, he said, adding that the council will handhold the institute in training programmes.

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

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