The country’s elite technology training institutes have been witnessing an increase in vacancies in undergraduate (UG) courses in the last four years, according to data obtained under the RTI Act.
The rising number of vacant seats in IITs, NITs and Centrally Funded Technical Institutes (CFTIs) under the administrative control of the Union government has left parents and aspirants worried about the trend.
In response to an RTI application filed by The Telegraph, 15 IITs, 16 NITs and 10 other CFTIs provided year-wise data on vacant seats in UG courses.
According to the data, the 15 IITs witnessed a vacancy of 301 seats in 2020-21. The number marginally declined to 276 the next year but increased to 340 and 384 in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic sessions, respectively. (See chart)
Among the IITs, the vacancy in IIT Dhanbad was the highest — 68 in 2020-21; 50 in 2021-22; 67 in 2022-23; and 53 in 2023-24.
IIT Kharagpur witnessed a vacancy of 32 seats in 2020-21 followed by 29, 64 and 62 in the next three years. IIT Bhubaneswar recorded 33, 37, 41 and 42 vacant seats during the four years.
The IITs have about 17,400 seats at the UG level.
The number of vacant seats in NIT Durgapur was 23 in 2020-21, 28 in 2021-22 and 26 each in the subsequent two years. NIT Delhi recorded 21, 25, 22 and 36 vacancies during the four years.
Among the CFTIs, the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Berhampur, Odisha, witnessed 43, 42, 36 and 13 vacant seats in the four years.
Prakash Kumar, a parent, said the vacant seats amount to the loss of public resources and denial of opportunity to many deserving candidates.
“The IITs and other institutions must take corrective actions” said Kumar, whose son is an IIT aspirant.
Prof Rajeev Kumar, a former faculty member of IIT Kharagpur, linked the
vacant seats to a few specific courses.
“The main thrust of students now is computer science, electrical and electronics branches. If they do not get such branches in IITs, they try in NITs. Such students prefer to take admission in IIITs, CFTIs, state colleges and private institutions or go abroad to pursue their preferred courses. Such preferences by students percolate to vacancies in courses that are less in demand,” he said.
