Kolkata, Nov. 6 -- As many as 205 BEd colleges have been denied permission to admit students for the 2026-28 academic session, while 53 ITI, pharmacy and polytechnic institutions have been barred from admitting students for the current academic session following inspections. Higher Education minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay announced the findings on Thursday, clarifying that the institutions would be given an opportunity to improve their standards rather than face permanent disaffiliation.

Of the 451 BEd colleges served show-cause notices after the first round of inspections, nine did not respond. The remaining 442 submitted their replies and underwent a second round of inspections.

Of these, 237 were found to have met the prescribed standards and were granted permission to admit students on November 4. The department had initially cleared 156 colleges after the first round of inspections. The 205 colleges that failed the second inspection will remain affiliated to Baba Saheb Ambedkar Education University (BSAEU), but will not be allowed to admit fresh students

this year.

Those meeting the requirements will be considered for admission permission in the next academic session. Chattopadhyay said a different set of inspectors was assigned for the second round to ensure an independent assessment.

Explaining the reasons behind the scrutiny, BSAEU Vice-Chancellor Arunasis Goswami said the university had received official communications from three to four neighbouring states raising concerns over the quality of BEd education in Bengal.

"Some of these letters stated that the quality of education in their states was declining because of the BEd education system in Bengal and alleged we were selling BEd degrees here," Goswami said.

The inspections also covered 265 ITIs, 134 pharmacy colleges offering BPharm and DPharm courses, and 74 polytechnics. Of these, 14 ITIs, 38 pharmacy colleges and one polytechnic have been barred from admitting students for the current academic session.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.