Meghalaya gets AICTE nod for first govt engineering college

Shillong: The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has officially approved the establishment of the Shillong Government College of Engineering, making it the first-ever govt engineering college in the state.

The college will be located at Mawlai Kynton Massar in East Khasi Hills district and will be academically affiliatd with North Eastern Hill University.

The college will launch two undergraduate programmes in civil engineering and electrical engineering, each with an initial intake of 30 students for the academic year 2025–26. An additional 10% of seats will be reserved for candidates from the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), according to the state govt's policy.

"Thrilled to announce that Shillong Government College of Engineering has received the Letter of Approval from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for launching Civil Engineering and Electrical Engineering courses, marking the first govt engineering college in the state," CM Conrad K Sangma posted on social media.

According to the terms set by the AICTE, the institution must meet "rigorous standards" for infrastructure, faculty recruitment, and academic quality. The state govt is expected to provide adequate funds to meet these criteria.

"The Institution shall not have any collaborative arrangements with any other Indian and/or Foreign Universities for conduct of technical courses without obtaining prior approval from AICTE. In case any violation is reported to the Council, appropriate action as per the notified regulations shall be initiated against the Institution," the official notification read.

The college has also been encouraged to participate in national initiatives such as the Smart India Hackathon, ATAL Faculty Development Programmes and student scholarship schemes like Pragati, Saksham and Swanath.

"The tuition and other fees shall be charged as prescribed by the competent authority within the overall criteria prescribed by the Council from time to time. No capitation fee shall be charged from the students/guardians of students in any form. If found so, appropriate action as per the notified regulations shall be initiated against the Institution," the notification said.

"The Institution by virtue of the approval given by Council shall not automatically become claimant to any grant-in-aid from the Central or State Government," the notification specified.