Delay in filling vacant BEd seats to cost govt dear

LUDHIANA: On one hand, the state government is facing financial crisis due to shortage of funds, while on the other, due to absence of any clear-cut policy, the Department of Higher Education is denying admissions to the willing students of other states for 5000-6000 vacant B Ed seats in Punjab.

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 11

On one hand, the state government is facing financial crisis due to shortage of funds, while on the other, due to absence of any clear-cut policy, the Department of Higher Education is denying admissions to the willing students of other states for 5000-6000 vacant B Ed seats in Punjab.

If the Department of Higher Education permits the colleges to fill these vacant B Ed seats, a fresh revenue of over Rs 60 crore will be added this year to the state’s exchequer,” said Jagjit Singh, president, BEd Federation.

Students of various states with fewer seats in BEd course, such as Delhi- NCR, Bihar, Jharkhand and North Eastern states are ready to come to Punjab. From the fee share, government universities will get registration and affiliation fee, student-related funds and exam fees, while the colleges will get the tuition fees and hostel charges as additional revenue.

Jagjit Singh further said when government could open the admission to all candidates after entrance/counseling for streams like Law, Engineering and Nursing, the same benefits should be given to the B Ed aspirants.

“Due to the absence of any clear-cut policy in Punjab, students are in a dilemma over their admissions and are migrating to the neighbouring states such as Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir, where no such condition of entrance test for BEd exists,” he said.

Last year also, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had instructed the higher education department to make some policies to fill the left-out seats in BEd colleges.

PUCA delegation meets Preneet Kaur

A delegation of Punjab Unaided Colleges Association (PUCA) met Ex Minister for State, Preneet Kaur and apprised her activities of PUCA. Anshu Kataria, President, PUCA said the youth play a major role in society to make Punjab a drug-free state by promoting anti-drug campaigns at college levels. Preneet Kaur lauded the initiatives taken by PUCA and influencing over 10 lakh youth studying in around 10,000 colleges of Punjab with Anti-Drug Campaign. She congratulated the youth for playing a major role in making Punjab a drug-free and a preferred destination for education