Scores of students pursuing teacher education courses in 56 institutions in the State are facing the danger of their studies getting disrupted, with the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) withdrawing recognition to the institutions.
The withdrawal will come into effect from the next academic season, according to the minutes of the meetings of the Southern Regional Committee of the NCTE, held in January and February.
While most of the 56 institutions are private, the Department of Physical Education at Bharathiar University, which is offering D.P.Ed course, has also not been spared. Though it is not yet known how many students will be affected, a senior official of the Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University, to which most of the institutions are affiliated, says that on an average, the intake of each institution is 100, with two units of 50 students. Totally, 719 institutions in the State are offering courses in teacher education.
When his reaction was sought, Higher Education Minister K.P. Anbalagan said the total number of affected students may not be of the order of 5,000.
However, if the institutions submit “rectification reports” to the NCTE, withdrawal of recognition would be revoked, the Minister said.
Another official said the action was taken only after seeking an explanation from the institution. “The committee takes a decision only after scrutinising the response of each institution,” he claimed, adding that actions are based on the NCTE (Recognition Norms and Procedure) Regulations of November 2014.
In its meeting on March 3, the Southern Regional Committee of the NCTE decided to reject a request made by the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, for grant of retrospective recognition to its pre-school teacher education course.
