HC quashes permits for 291 DEd colleges ………..Swati Deshpande & Kartikeya I TNN
The mushrooming of teaching colleges in the state might soon cease. The Bombay HC on Wednesday quashed permissions to set up 291 new Diploma in Education (DEd) colleges in Maharashtra and directed that a study be undertaken on the demand and supply of primary teachers before April
2009. The colleges are of various language mediums.
2009. The colleges are of various language mediums.
A division bench at Nagpur, comprising justices B H Marlapalle and A H Joshi, noted that recognition was being granted to too many DEd courses without paying heed to recommendations by various committees set up by the central government as well as the rules framed under the National Council for Teacher Education Act.
The petitionersteachers from Chandrapur districtasked for quashing of recognition granted to newly recognised DEd courses while pointing out that Maharashtra had the largest number of unemployed DEd holders who took their exams in the Marathi medium. The number stood at a staggering 41,763 while it was only 55 for those whose medium was Gujarati and 160 in Kannada.
At the same time, the state has continued to churn out DEd holders in the thousands every year. The pass percentage for such courses is as high as 90% so that almost everyone who enrolled got the diploma but not a job because of the glut in the sector.
The HC was also informed that the number of DEd colleges was set to go up to 1,089 in the coming year as against 788 in 2008. This would translate into an intake capacity of 72,300, going up from 57,452.
The court quashed the establishment of 291 new DEd colleges and asked for completion of a study on demand and supply of teachers in the state by April. This study will be placed before the Union HRD ministry.
JOBLESS IN STATE
Hindi medium 1,110
English medium 1,232
Marathi medium 41,763
Gujarati medium 55
Kannada medium 160
(No. of unemployed DEd holders from employment exchanges)