Balasore: Teachers’ training colleges play a key role in creating trained teaching staff to ensure quality education, but the only B.Ed college in Balasore— College of Teacher Education— is most likely to be shut soon due to perennial shortage of teachers and staff.
Even as quality education in government schools is reportedly on a decline for severe shortage of trained teachers, closure of this B.Ed college will deal a blow to creation of trained teachers.
Citing staff shortage, National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) authorities have issued a notification to withdraw its recognition to the B.Ed college from 2020-21 academic session, as per Section 17(1) of the National Council Teachers’ Training Act-1993.
Following this notification, admission to the B.Ed course will not be entertained at this training institute from the current academic session.
It may be noted here that the NCTE has taken back its permission to five B.Ed colleges in the state. The 278th meeting of the eastern region committee of the NCTE was held from January 16 to 18. Members of the NCTE from Odisha, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Nagaland states brainstormed over multiple problems of the B.Ed colleges in these states.
The issues of infrastructure and staff shortage prominently featured in the discussion, sources said. It was unanimously decided at the meeting that recognition of the B.Ed colleges lacking infrastructure and teaching staff will be withdrawn.
Considering these problems, the NCTE has already withdrawn recognition of several B.Ed colleges in these states. It was learnt that such teachers’ training colleges in Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Cuttack, Sambalpur and Puri had their recognition withdrawn.
The NCTE has earlier directed the Balasore B.Ed college authorities about necessary documents relating to appointment of teachers. The college authorities had furnished the documents.
As per NCTE Act, a B.Ed college (as a unit) should have eight lecturers and 17 teachers for at least 50 students. But the Balasore B.Ed college has a principal, a professor and five guest teachers.
Asked about the problem, principal of the B.Ed college, Dr Harekrushna Sahu said that there is a notification in this regard on the website of NCTE, but no written order has been received till date. “We are waiting for the decision of the government,” he added.