New Delhi: All engineering colleges and technical institutions have been asked to allow student entrepreneurs to sit for examination even if their attendance is short, sources confirmed.
Receiving directions from the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), the colleges shall now allow these students to attend their exams even if they fall short of attendance, Indiatoday reports.
The colleges have also been asked to explore provisions of on-campus accommodation to such student entrepreneurs while permitting semester break for working on their startups.
Move to encourage students to take up research
HRD Ministry’s technical education regulator has issued directions to encourage more students to take up research and innovation to turn into entrepreneurs and build a culture of ultimately becoming job givers than job seekers.
“Student entrepreneurs should be allowed to sit for the examination, even if their attendance is less than the minimum permissible percentage, with due permission from the institute,” a senior council official told PTI.
“The institutions should allow their students to take a semester or year break or even more depending upon the decision of review committee constituted by the institute to work on their startups and re-join academics to complete the course,” the official added.
The institutions can also award academic credits.
“Student entrepreneurs may earn academic credits for their efforts while creating an enterprise. Institutes should set up a review committee for review of startup by students, and based on the progress made, it may consider giving appropriate credits for academics,” the official said.
“The institutes should explore the provision of accommodation to the entrepreneurs within the campus for some period of time,” he added.
The officials also added, “The institute should link their startups and companies with wider entrepreneurial ecosystem and by providing support to students who show potential, in the pre-startup phase.
Connecting student entrepreneurs with real life entrepreneurs will help the students in understanding real challenges which may be faced by them while going through the innovation funnel and will increase the probability of success.”