Many B.Tech graduates in the state, who are vying for the posts of village revenue officers and village revenue assistants, are applying for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering-2012. With GATE-2012 clashing with the VRO/VRA exam on February 12, B.Tech graduates are now asking the government to reschedule the exam. They even met revenue minister Raghuveera Reddy and submitted a representation.

Academics attributed this phenomenon to the poor quality of engineering education imparted in the state, and say that most of the engineering graduates lack employable skills in the IT and industrial sectors. Left with no option, the graduates are opting for small-time jobs in other fields, they said. Some also say that it’s the “security” that a government job offers that has driven the engineering graduates to opt for the VRO, VRA posts.

“It’s not that there are no jobs for engineering graduates. But only about 10 per cent of the tech graduates have employable skills,” said Prof. S. Satyanara-yana, VC, OU. Other academics blamed the mushrooming of engineering colleges without basic infrastructure and faculty. “With over 3 lakh B.Tech seats in the state, it has become easy to pursue engineering. Most are opting for B.Tech courses even if they lack the aptitude,” said Prof. D.N. Reddy, former VC, JNTU-Hyderabad. The students, however, say that it is the job security aspect that’s important. “There is no job security in private sector. Even if we get Rs 7,000 as a VRO, it is a government job,” said Mr Dharma Naik, a techie.


Source : DC