Quote of the day by E Sreedharan: Engineering colleges or institutes that we have in the country...

“Engineering colleges or institutes that we have in the country, according to me, are producing a very sub-standard quality of engineers.”

E Sreedharan said on September 1, 2016, in Ahmedabad. He was addressing the U N Mahida Memorial Lecture on “professional ethics and role of engineers”, organised by the Gujarat chapter of the Institution of Engineers.

Sreedharan was speaking about more than degrees. He argued that engineers needed practical knowledge, expertise and a commitment to keep updating their skills.advertisement❮❯ Read Full StoryWHO WAS E SREEDHARAN?Born on June 12, 1932, in Kerala, Sreedharan studied engineering and joined the Indian Railways. His career later took him to some of India’s most challenging transport projects.

He became the founding Chairman and Managing Director of Konkan Railway Corporation in 1990. The government-owned corporation says the project involved building a 760-km railway through difficult terrain, with mountains, rivers and valleys. Sreedharan led the organisation as it attempted to deliver the line within a compressed schedule.

He later became the first Managing Director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. His work on major rail projects made him widely known as India’s “Metro Man”. The Government of India awarded him the Padma Vibhushan in 2008.THE REAL PROBLEM, ACCORDING TO HIM

Sreedharan referred to a survey of around 300 engineering colleges and said it found only 29 per cent of engineers employable, while 30 per cent could become employable after further study. He also pointed to the migration of highly qualified IIT and NIT graduates for better opportunities abroad.

For him, the bigger problem was the gap between classroom learning and the demands of actual engineering work.

He said, “In engineering profession, knowledge is the most important thing. You will have to be expert. Knowledge has to be practical-oriented.”

His concerns were not new. In 2012, speaking at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Kakinada, he criticised the rapid growth of engineering colleges, saying many lacked quality teachers and facilities. He also said curricula were not being updated frequently enough to match industry requirements.WHAT DOES THE QUOTE MEAN?

The quote asks a basic question: Is getting an engineering degree enough?

For Sreedharan, the answer was no. An engineer should understand the subject, solve practical problems, keep learning and follow professional ethics. A classroom qualification, by itself, cannot guarantee those skills.

That message remains relevant as India builds large transport, infrastructure and technology projects. Sreedharan’s own career offers the contrast: he demanded better engineers while spending decades showing what engineering could achieve in practice today, when knowledge, planning and responsibility came together.- EndsPublished By: Princy ShuklaPublished On: Sep 15, 2026 12:26 IST