Kolkata, Sept. 3 -- State Higher Education minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay on Thursday said that show-cause notices have already been served to about 450 to 475 B.Ed colleges in the state, which the minister alleged had sprung up in the past 15 years without any proper requisite criteria.
These colleges will have to prove they have adequate infrastructure; failing that, they will be de-affiliated. During a press conference, the minister stated that these colleges must prove they have adequate infrastructure within 21 days.
If these B.Ed colleges fail to provide a satisfactory answer, stern action will be taken and student admissions will be stopped immediately, the minister added. "We will not allow the B.Ed colleges to run like any other trade and issue certificates in exchange for money," the minister stated.
The minister also stated that during inspection, the officials of the department found that 53 B.Ed colleges have no existence.
Either other activities were going on in the premises which were shown as B.Ed colleges, or the building was closed. In 17 cases, no-objection certificates (NoC) were given for premises that were not B.Ed colleges at all.
Around 265 colleges out of 602 have been identified as 'invalid'. About 121 colleges lacked minimum infrastructure. Around 151 colleges secured 65-85 per cent marks in the evaluation. The minister also stated that the chief secretary of a neighbouring state informed the West Bengal government that students from the neighbouring state are coming here and getting certificates from these institutions here.
"We will publish a white paper which will show how the previous Trinamool Congress government had established institutionalised corruption in the education system," the minister added.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.