NCTE cancels recognition of 295 BEd colleges in Maharashtra

The cancellation of recognition for 295 BEd colleges in Maharashtra by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) has left the future of thousands of aspiring teachers uncertain.

The decision, part of a nationwide review of teacher education institutions, may result in the loss of over 16,000 seats and significantly impact admissions for the 2025–26 academic year.

The NCTE launched a scrutiny process last month after concerns were raised about the quality and functioning of BEd colleges across India.

Several institutions reportedly failed to submit the required evaluation reports by the May 31 deadline.

As a result, they have lost their recognition and will not be allowed to admit students for the upcoming session.

The Higher and Technical Education Department has voiced concerns about the fallout of this move, warning that students could face serious difficulties during the admission season due to limited seats in the remaining approved institutions.

A principal of a BEd college said, “This year, there are many changes proposed in the BEd education, which creates chaos among students and colleges. Early this year, the NCTE also made changes to the structure of teacher education programs. It had initially announced that the existing four-year integrated BA/BSc-BEd course would be discontinued starting from the 2025–26 academic year and replaced with a new four-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP). Following this announcement, the State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell suspended the registration process for the existing integrated course on March 9.”

Amid protests from stakeholders, the NCTE postponed the discontinuation of integrated BEd courses to 2026–27.

The Higher and Technical Education Department subsequently directed the CET Cell to resume the admission process for 2025–26.

Accordingly, the CET Cell reopened the registration window for the integrated course on June 2. Students can apply until June 15, and the entrance exam is scheduled for July 20.

“While the reinstatement of the integrated course admission process brings temporary relief, the larger issue of cancelled college recognitions continues to cast a shadow on the future of B.Ed aspirants in the state,” said another principal.

Officials from the Higher and Technical Education Department confirmed that the state government plans to take up the issue with NCTE within the next two days.