For flouting faculty norms, Punjabi University bars 12 colleges from taking 1st year BEd students

Patiala Punjabi University has barred 12 of its affiliated colleges from admitting new students in BEd (Bachelor of Education) first year from this academic session of 2021-22. These colleges were found flouting norms by either not appointing a principal or not getting this position approved; there were also issues and irregularities in the appointment of faculty members.

The norms for these have to be in line with the ones that the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) and the university issue. The first counselling for admission to BEd courses in colleges across the state is going to begin from October 21.

Varsity’s dean (colleges) Gurpreet Singh Lehal said under the NCTE guidelines, for an intake of 100 students in the BEd course, there is a requirement of 16 full-time faculty members, including a regular principal.

“The selection of at least 10 faculty members, including the principal, should be approved by the university. For the past many years, these colleges have not recruited any University-approved faculty member and principal despite many reminders and warnings that the university issued to them,” Lehal said, adding that after the last warning in August, these colleges had assured the varsity of appointing an approved principal and the minimum required faculty by October 15.

“For BEd second year and for MEd courses in these colleges, students continue to suffer as well. We have now strictly instructed these institutions to appoint the minimum required faculty and principal, after following all norms and approval, within two months,” the dean added.

The colleges debarred from admission include Bhagwati College of Education (Mansa); GN College of Education, Guru Nanak College of Education for Girls (Samao); Guru Tegh Bahadur College of Education (Dalelwala); Malwa College of Education (Kotkapura); Malwa College of Education, (Sardulewala); Sai College of Education (Lehragaga); Shiva College of Education; Swami Dayanand College of Education (Bhucho Mandi); Universal College of Education and Vidya Sagar College of Education (Fatehpur).

SPECIAL USE OF TECHNOLOGY 

TO CHECK GHOST FACULTY

Lehal added Punjabi University has started using a special software 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, with other information such as infrastructure, time table and facilities for students and faculty on their official website,” he said, adding that a comprehensive database of faculty members of all affiliated colleges of the university will be developed.

“The database will also be useful in mitigating the menace of ‘ghost faculty’, which refers to teachers who simply do not exist or exist in two or more colleges simultaneously,” he said. A software developed by the university will mine through the database to unearth such ghost teachers, he added.

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