JOIN USThe State Government has scrapped common entrance test (CET) for admission to BEd and BPEd courses this year. The seats will be allotted on the basis of the marks secured in BA and BSc courses.
As many as 22,950 seats are available under government quota in 428 BEd colleges in the State. The number goes up to 40,000 seats on including those available under management quota.
However, the demand for the course has been declining over the years and it is in this background that the Government has decided against the CET. The test was introduced during 2003-04 following a surge in the demand.
Seats were allotted on the basis of marks secured in degree courses and the CET (50 per cent each).
According to an Education Department officer, only 19,000 applications were received last year as against the available 22,950 seats. The State has nine government BEd colleges, 43 aided and 376 unaided colleges. While all the seats in the State-run institutions come under the government quota, seats in aided institutions are shared in the ratio 75:25 between government and managements.
The seats in unaided colleges are filled in the ratio 50:50.
Dwindling jobs
The decline in the demand for BEd courses has been attributed to waning job opportunities. As many as 37,752 teachers serve in 4,278 government schools and 3,367 aided schools account for 28,348 teachers.
While about 40,000 fresh BEd graduates come out of colleges every year, there has been no recruitment of teachers over the past four years due to non-availability of vacancies.
Sources in the Education department said about 5,000 vacancies would be created this year on account of retirements and a proposal has been submitted to Finance department for recruitments.
BEd colleges have mushroomed across the State in the past 10 years. While students struggled to get admission in the past, it’s role reversal now, with the colleges waiting for students.
Admissions go online
The admission procedure to BEd course has gone online from this year. Candidates need not queue up in front of the district institutes of education training (DIET) for applications.
Instead they can submit the application online from Tuesday till September 30, said sources in the centralised admission unit. The admission will commence in the last week of October, and classes in the first week of November.