The IIITs at Basar, Nuzvid and Idupulapaya, launched with much fanfare in 2008 by the late chief minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, as an answer to the country’s IITs, are losing their sheen. Hundreds of students are preferring to move out, having applied for the Eamcet this year to get into good engineering colleges, rather than continuing with their four-year B.Tech course in IIITs.
The Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Techno-logies, which runs these IIITs, is struggling to provide the required facilities to students due to a dearth of funds. The state government provides free education, free hostel and mess facilities for IIIT students as part of the six-year integrated engineering course after Class X, besides a laptop, two pairs of uniforms and shoes. But all these have not been attractive en-ough to hold students back. Those who completed Class XII at the IIITs this year doubt the institutes’ longe-vity and are moving out.
Nearly 800 students out of a total 3,000, who are about to finish Class XII in May 2012, have opted to sit for Eamcet this year. A large number of IIIT students from Vijayawada (71), followed by Guntur (69), Hyderabad (44), Kakinada (43), Anantapur (41), Tirupati (39), Kurnool (36), Eluru, Ongole and Warangal (31) applied for Eamcet 2012. However, RGUKT vice-chancellor Prof. R.V. Raja Kumar expressed confidence that these students will continue with the IIITs. Students also face many problems on campus. With bills not being paid to them, mess contractors are not able to provide them with food and since the construction activities have stopped, there is no accommodation.