West Bengal Issues Show-Cause Notices to 450 BEd Colleges Over 'Cash-for-Degree' Allegations
The West Bengal higher education department has issued show-cause notices to at least 450 Bachelor of Education (BEd) colleges across the state. The administrative action follows allegations of widespread "cash-for-degrees" scams, Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay announced during a press conference on Thursday.
Minister Chattopadhyay vowed that the state government would take strict action against those involved in selling fake degrees. He alleged that fraudulent qualifications were being sold not only at BEd colleges but also at several polytechnic, Industrial Training Institute (ITI), and pharmacy colleges in the state. He added that a large number of BEd colleges had mushroomed across West Bengal over the last 15 years.
Inspection Reveals Widespread Lapses
The show-cause notices were issued after the higher education department conducted comprehensive inspections across all 602 BEd colleges in West Bengal throughout July and August. The institutions were evaluated on a 100-mark matrix assessing their infrastructure and teaching standards. The state-wide evaluation yielded an average score of just 51.5 percent.
The inspection findings revealed significant irregularities among the state's teacher training institutions. Out of the 602 colleges inspected, 53 were found to be completely non-existent. Officials conducting the physical verification discovered that these premises were either locked or being used for entirely different activities.
Furthermore, 265 institutions were categorized as "non-functional" after being identified as fake, unqualified, or unaffiliated. In 17 instances, investigators found that No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for BEd colleges had been issued to residential addresses, with the minister claiming these institutions were faking operations from residential buildings.
The physical state of many active institutions also raised concerns. The infrastructure at 121 colleges was described as being in a dire condition, while 114 colleges scored below 30 on the 100-mark evaluation scale. Conversely, only 151 colleges managed to score between 65 and 85 percent, demonstrating proper infrastructure, regular teacher attendance, and functional CCTV systems.
Inter-State Degree Sales Alleged
According to official data, West Bengal awards more than 62,000 BEd degrees annually. Minister Chattopadhyay raised concerns over the enrollment patterns in these institutions, noting that many students from Goa, northeast India, and other neighbouring states register at these colleges. He questioned how non-Bengali-speaking students could realistically participate in classes at institutions that are primarily Bengali-medium.
The state-wide inspection drive was initiated after the Chief Secretary of a neighbouring state sent a formal letter to West Bengal's Chief Secretary. The letter alleged that students from other states were purchasing degrees from West Bengal institutions without attending any classes, which was negatively impacting the education system in their home states.
"A neighbouring state CS wrote to our CS that in our state, various professional colleges like BEd, law, polytechnic, and ITI are selling degrees," Chattopadhyay said. "We then looked into the matter because the allegation was that their state’s education system was getting affected as the students are no longer studying there but are coming to West Bengal and buying degrees."
Government Demands Corrective Action and Plans White Paper
The higher education department has given the 450 BEd colleges served with show-cause notices a period of 21 days to respond. The institutions must detail the corrective measures they have implemented to address the flagged deficiencies.
"Within 21 days they are to reply as to what corrective measures they have taken… If we are not satisfied, we will de-affiliate them," Minister Chattopadhyay warned.
The minister also announced that the state government plans to publish a white paper detailing alleged education scams that occurred under the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) led government. He accused certain individuals of running businesses under the guise of higher education.
"Very soon the Higher education department will bring out all the corruption which has happened in the last 15 years… We will bring out a white paper on corruption, and we will send the findings to the commission formed under Justice Biswajit Basu," Chattopadhyay stated. He added that since the BJP came to power, the Chief Minister has emphasized the importance of education and held direct meetings to improve the state's educational system.
