Jagannath Chattopadhyay
Out of 602 BEd colleges, 265 are not in a position to function as teachers’ training institutions, as they failed to meet the parameters set by the department. Chattopadhyay said officials found around 17 colleges operating multiple teaching centres, violating NCTE norms, while 51 colleges were either locked or could not be found at their registered locations. Three years ago, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Education University had cancelled the affiliations of these same 253 private BEd colleges after discovering malpractices, leading to a court challenge.
State higher education minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay said: “Following the inspection, we learned the reality of how teachers’ training colleges are actually functioning. Former vice-chancellor of this university, Soma Bandyopadhyay, said: “What BSAEU decided during my tenure (facing maximum resistance from the then HE department) has finally been vetted by the present govt. We will not allow ‘teaching shops’ in the name of teachers’ training. In some cases, inspectors even found a grocery shop at the given address. Time has proved that the previous decision was a right step in the right direction. ”
The higher education department has already released the order for BEd admissions, stating that the process will begin on Sept 7. Chattopadhyay clarified that 151 colleges that meet all department parameters may participate in the admission process. The department used a 100-mark evaluation scale for the inspection, which yielded an average score of 51.5%. A total of 114 colleges scored below 30%, while 121 colleges were found to be in extremely poor condition regarding teacher availability, infrastructure, student enrolment, examinations and overall educational quality.
Kolkata: Bengal govt will send show-cause notices to over 450 BEd colleges across the state that have failed to “pass” the inspection conducted by the higher education department. If these colleges fail to provide a satisfactory response within a 21-day time-frame, they will face “severe consequences”, which may include losing affiliation.