Affiliated colleges stopped by Punjabi University from admitting students to BEd course

Tribune News Service

Patiala, October 19

Punjabi University has restricted its 11 affiliated colleges from admitting students in BEd first year course for the session 2021-22 due to their inability to hire regular teachers and principals. The university said the students studying in other classes and courses in these colleges were also suffering due to the absence of proper teaching faculty due to which the decision was taken.

Acting tough against the education colleges, the university today said the colleges were flouting the NCTE and university faculty norms.

A university official said, “The first counselling for admission to BEd colleges is due on October 21. According to the NCTE guidelines, there is a requirement of 16 fulltime faculty members, including one principal for an intake of 100 students for BEd course. But these colleges have not recruited any university-approved faculty member and principal despite many reminders and warnings since many years.”

It had also issued a warning in August as well. Officials said they have now banned the colleges from admitting any student in BEd first year course. “In the absence of proper teaching faculty, the students studying in other classes and courses in these colleges are also suffering and the colleges have further been strictly instructed to appoint the minimum required faculty and principal within two months for those students”, the university said.

Dean Colleges Dr Gurpreet Singh Lehal said that Punjabi University had initiated the usage of ICT technologies to bring transparency and efficiency in the working of the college development council. “All affiliated colleges have been instructed to display detailed faculty information with photographs, along with other information such as infrastructure, time table and facilities for students and faculty on their official website”, he said.

The university is also developing a comprehensive database of faculty members of all affiliated colleges. The searchable database will be made available on the university website and will serve as a useful resource for creating a pool of subject experts for examination, evaluation, expert talk, board of studies member and others. The database will also be useful in mitigating the menace of ‘ghost faculty’, the university said.

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