Baishali Mukherjee (Kolkata)

Mamata Banerjee

Hot on the heels of the massive outrage provoked by the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the government-run RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata, which exposed severe malpractices in the state’s medical education system, and a scam in which public money meant for students to purchase digital tablets was allegedly siphoned off, a Calcutta high court judgement on irregularities in the admission processes of the state’s 620 B.Ed teacher training colleges has raised further doubt about the governance capabilities of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government of West Bengal. In a PIL (public interest litigation) case (Nasim Akter vs. State of West Bengal and Ors), the petitioner has accused Babasaheb Ambedkar Education University (BAEU, estb.2015) of multiple irregularities in the admission process of B.Ed courses of affiliated colleges. BAEU, the first university set up by any state government exclusively for teacher training countrywide, offers B.Ed courses in 200 affiliated colleges across West Bengal.

Alleged irregularities include non-compliance with NCTE (National Council for Teacher Education) guidelines relating to basic infrastructure and operational standards, extortion by middlemen acting in collusion with college authorities to facilitate admission of unqualified students, and lack of transparency and accountability as many colleges have not renewed affiliation.

On November 8, a two-judge bench of Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya underscored the seriousness of the charges, noting that recurring scams and scandals in Bengal’s teacher recruitment processes could drive youth out of the state in search of fair and transparent education and employment. The bench expressed exasperation with widespread administrative neglect and corruption charges, noting that the latest charges against teacher training colleges raise disturbing questions about oversight failures and exploitation in the education sector. The court granted two weeks to the state government and BAEU to file affidavits detailing their responses and evidence related to the case.

Also read: RG Kar case: Bill for capital punishment for convicted rapists in Bengal, says Mamata