Education has become business and private educational institutions are money minting machines and not true educational institutions. In particular, private Bachelor of Education Colleges, mostly bogus are churning enormous money in which so many people are involved. Ever since the Government allowed private B.Ed colleges to function, an industry came into being in which irregularities in numerous ways began to thrive. Curiously Educational Department authorities who are supposed to ensure full implementation of the criteria laid down for opening B.Ed Colleges have been conniving at the rules and encouraging the sponsors of these college to indulge in irregularities because they have an axe to grind.
There is mushroom growth of B.Ed Colleges in the State. No doubt these are affiliated to the universities of Jammu or Kashmir and their curriculum is one that is proposed by the universities concerned. It is also true that it is the University of the concerned region that has to fix the number of seats allotted to each B.Ed. College. There are rules and regulations for admission to these institutes and seats are distributed between local and non-local candidates. In all in Jammu province there are 72 private B.Ed Colleges affiliated to Jammu University and they are allowed 22372 seats for local as well as non-local candidates.
There have been many complaints of students and wards against many private B.Ed colleges. Complaints pertain not only to admission system but also about fees structure, teaching system, response to student enquiries and related matters. It has been known that hefty admission fee is charged and thereafter money is extracted from students under various pretexts. How far these exactions are legal is a matter to be probed into.
As the Jammu University came under pressure, it deputed inspection teams to make a field study and report back on the status of each affiliated college. The report of the inspection team has been submitted to the University authorities. There are startling facts disclosed in the team. By and large most of these colleges are bogus because on inspection, it was found that in some colleges there was not even 20 per cent of admitted strength present in the classroom. In some of these colleges not a single student was to be found present in the class. The report is an eye-opener showing that these fake colleges have earned enormous monies without any delivery on the ground. It means that these colleges have not been insisting on the physical presence of the students in the classroom. The students must be doing some private study and not attending the classes where they are expected to receive training from trained teachers. At the same time, the sponsors of the college must be showing the trained staff in the books whereas there are no teachers. They draw the salaries for fake staff and actually pocket the money. This is a big racket.
Deeply distressed at this state of affairs, Jammu University authorities have decided to reduce the number of seats allotted to the defaulting colleges. This is a punitive measure and will mean that the concerned colleges will have reduced income. But the question is will this step really change the entire diseased system of these colleges? The question is not of the quantum of amount that is transacted. The real point is that really trained students should come out of these institutions who will become teachers to teach in Government or private institutions.
Education falls in the State list. The State Government is competent to bring about any changes and set forth the curriculum. If there are colleges that have shown zero presence, what rights they have to exist and why should not the University withdraw affiliation? We do understand that we need teachers and the Government colleges are not sufficient to produce the number of trained teachers we stand in need of. That is why private colleges have been granted affiliation. But this has dwindled to a level that these colleges have become a mockery. It will be reminded that the President of India and even the Ministry of Human Resource Development both have said that the standard of our education has fallen. This tendency needs to be arrested. We don’t think reduction of seats is really going to bring about the desired change in the working of these institutions. The Government and the university should consider the situation with all seriousness and find out a way how these institutions can be made to work efficiently.
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