Tamil Nadu - Chennai

These engineering aspirants need to put in some extra work

CHENNAI: Forget the Class 12 toppers with their Physics and Chemistry centums who will turn up for engineering counselling from Friday. The group of aspiring engineers who filled the Anna University campus over the last three days have not even studied Physics and Chemistry in the last two years.

Vocational candidates from across the State have been taking their turn at the counselling process between July 4 to 8, competing for the 4 per cent quota – 2604 seats – allotted to them. Most of them have studied subjects such as Electrical Domestic Appliances, General Mechanics and Building Management, and hope that the lack of Physics and Chemistry will not matter too much as they start their engineering courses.

When he completed his SSLC, M. Sivasankar, a student from Kadayanallur near Tenkasi, felt that Physics was too difficult for him and so he opted for a General Mechanics course in the vocational stream. As he anxiously awaits his turn for counselling however, his father M. Uppudathi warns that he will have to take Physics coaching during the remainder of the summer vacation if he gets admission into a B.E. course.

“We hope he will get Mechanical Engineering, it may be easier for him. But if he gets Civil or ECE, he will have to do some extra studying,” he says.

C. Kanagalakshmi, who studied Electrical Motor Rewinding in school, also expects to do some extra work. “It would be good if the college itself offered special classes in Physics and Chemistry, otherwise we will have to arrange some tuition during the first semester,” she says, scanning the Anna University display screens for the latest status. She ended up in the vocational stream because she failed to meet the cut-off for the higher secondary academic stream at her Koilpetti school.

Without ‘good marks’ in Class 10, many students are forced to choose between the non-science academic stream and the vocational stream. Those who choose the latter hope that they will still be able to make it in engineering. “It offers a second chance. Even if you don’t get in here, you can at least take a diploma and go in for lateral entry,” says R. Natarajan. His niece, A. Kausalya, who hails from Selampattai in South Arcot, is worried not only about Physics and Chemistry, but also how she will make a transition from a Tamil medium school to an English medium college. “She will take spoken English classes in Neyveli for the next month,” says her uncle.

Academics agree that the first few semesters will be especially tough for students from the vocational stream. “They are not at the same academic level as other students, so we identify them and give them extra coaching along with other weak students,” says V.M Periasamy, principal of Crescent Engineering College, who says that apart from the lack of Physics and Chemistry, the Maths syllabus is elementary for vocational students. Even the practical experience in mechanics or electrical circuits will not help much. “[The vocational stream] was designed as a terminal programme in Plus Two, with students expected to go in for jobs in the industry. So the practicals are at a technician’s level, not an engineering level,” he says.

Vocational students usually go for ITI or polytechnic courses, but with the higher quota for BE seats, it seems that more are heading for that option now, says V. Raja Rajeswari, the joint director responsible for vocational education at the School Education department.

Congratulating a student who has just received his allotment order, Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions secretary V. Rhymend Uthariaraj exhorts him to begin studying early.

“You will need to put in some hard work in the first semester so that you can bridge your knowledge,” he tells the student.

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