Earlier this week, this newspaper reported that the majority of engineering colleges across Goa are battling shrinking demand, with 475 seats remaining vacant after the first round, and followed up with another report that listed various reasons for the crisis. For the third year in a row, the Directorate of Technical Education has responded by relaxing admission norms, waiving the mandatory JEE-Main requirement for vacant Bachelor of Engineering (BE) seats. But to view this merely as a regulatory adjustment or dismiss it as an unavoidable demographic reality is to overlook a much deeper shift. Goa appears to have reached a point where students no longer believe that a conventional engineering degree automatically translates into a secure career.
The State has been witnessing a major change in student preferences. Over the past few years, the number of Class XII students opting for mathematics has fallen by an estimated 20 to 25 per cent, shrinking the pipeline of students who are even eligible for engineering. At the same time, healthcare and allied professions have emerged as far more attractive options. Better employment prospects and greater local job stability have drawn increasing numbers of students towards NEET-based courses. Pharmacy education in Goa has expanded from just two colleges to six, with intake capacity doubling to around 800 seats that are filled with little difficulty. Physiotherapy and other health programmes continue to gain momentum, while private universities are attracting students with specialised, interdisciplinary courses tailored to emerging industries.
What makes the lack of appetite for engineering worrying is the economic backdrop. Goa is already grappling with rising unemployment. Producing hundreds of graduates with degrees that struggle to find placement in the local job market will only compound the problem. When institutions like the Shree Rayeshwar Institute fail to fill even a quarter of their seats despite relaxed eligibility norms and government support, the writing is on the wall. It simply means students are not willing to invest years and money in qualifications where career paths remain uncertain.
Goa is not an isolated case. Across India, private engineering colleges are confronting the same reality. In Karnataka, for instance, COMEDK counselling data showed that 17,190 engineering seats remained vacant even after multiple rounds of admissions. Traditional branches such as Civil and Mechanical Engineering continue to lose appeal as employment opportunities stagnate, while newer disciplines like Artificial Intelligence and Data Science remain in demand. The result is an increasingly stark divide between premier institutions and specialised programmes on one hand, and a struggling mid-tier private engineering sector on the other.
Lowering eligibility thresholds to 45 per cent and removing entrance requirements may help fill a few classrooms in the short term, but it does little to address the underlying problem. Rather, it risks eroding academic standards. The answer lies not in lowering the bar but in reinventing engineering education itself.
Colleges need to phase out oversaturated programmes and develop courses aligned with Goa’s evolving economy, including marine engineering, pharmaceutical technology, sustainable tourism infrastructure and digital infrastructure such as regional data centres. The State government must complement educational reforms with policies that attract high-value technology, manufacturing and research-based industries capable of generating skilled employment. Equally important is incorporating long-term industry apprenticeships into engineering curricula so that graduates have hands-on practical experience rather than just theoretical knowledge.
If Goa is serious about addressing unemployment and building a future-ready workforce, it must stop viewing engineering education as a numbers game. The focus has to shift from filling seats to creating genuine value for students.
