About 96% seats filled up in B.Ed colleges this yr
kolkata: Admission to the B.Ed colleges across the state has witnessed an overwhelming response this year with 96 per cent of the seats getting filled up.
There are 620 B.Ed colleges across the state affiliated to the West Bengal University of Teachers' Training Education Planning and Administration (WBUTTEP&A), among which 599 are private and 21 government.
In the private B.Ed colleges, 51750 out of 54000 seats have been filled up while in the government B.Ed colleges 100 per cent of the seats have been occupied, as per data provided by WBUTTEP&A.
B.Ed degree is necessary for appearing in TET (Teachers Eligibility Test) for primary as well as for secondary level.
"Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has recently made announcements for recruitment of teachers on more than one occasion and the process has already started. This has contributed in more and more admissions to the B.Ed colleges," a senior official of WBUTTEP&A said.
Even the private schools in the state and other places in the country recruit candidates having B.Ed degree.
Sources in the Higher Education department said that admission in B.Ed has been to the satisfaction of the state government for the last few years, but this year's response has been overwhelming.
It holds special significance as the teachers' recruitment in the state has come under the scanner of central investigating agencies like
CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) and ED (Enforcement Directorate).
"We have carried out the admission process in a centralised manner through online mode with 100 per cent tranparency. The rules and regulations of NCTE has been strictly followed," Soma Bandyopadhyay, vice-chancellor of WBUTTEP&A said.
WBUTTEP&A, popularly known as B.Ed University, has instructed the authorities of the private B.Ed colleges to keep a hawk eye to ensure that there are no irregularities associated with the admission process. "Clear cut directive was given that the university will take strong action against colleges, if found to have conducted admission against acceptance of money," a senior official of WBUTTEP&A said.
B.Ed or Bachelor of Education is a 2-year professional course that is done after graduation to work as a teacher in schools. According to the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) it is mandatory for all teachers to have a B.Ed degree.