By 
BHUBANESWAR: The higher education department has requested the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) for restoration of recognition withdrawn from 15 teacher education institutions (TEIs) in Odisha.
Recognition of 15 TEIs was withdrawn during the academic session 2020-21 on the ground of having less number of faculties than required. The state government has initiated the process for filling up of 385 teachers in these institutions, official sources said.
In a letter to chairperson of NCTE, department secretary Saswat Mishra said, “The Odisha government may be allowed to engage required number of guest faculties, having essential qualification, in all these TEIs till regular recruitment is made by the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) and start the courses from the current academic session 2021-22.”
Mishra further requested the council that the 15 TEIs, whose recognition has been withdrawn, may be allowed to run the normal courses with reduced number of students against the sanctioned strength of faculties. Sanctioned strength of teachers of these TEIs is 255 against 1750 intake capacity of BEd students. The state government has proposed to bring down the intake capacity from 1750 to 1200.
On June 1, all the TEIs have been transferred to the administrative control of the higher education department from the school and mass education department. Before such transfer, on March 9, the higher education department had submitted its requisition to the OPSC for recruitment of 385 numbers of assistant professors on emergency basis. “Though OPSC has already taken up the recruitment process, it is getting delayed due to the pandemic,” said Mishra.
Odisha is the only state which has the government teacher training institutions to cater to the needs of trained teachers for elementary, secondary and higher secondary stages. Private TEIs are not allowed in the state. “Due to withdrawal of recognition of these government TEIs by the NCTE, it has become impossible to meet the demand of the state for trained teachers. Therefore, we request the council to kindly revoke the withdrawal of recognition in order to enable Odisha government start BEd and Med programmes in the TEIs from the current academic session 2021-22,” said Mishra in the letter.
Source From : Times Of India
