Mumbai: In a major “quality-control” measure ahead of the new academic year, Mumbai University has denied affiliation to 30 B Ed colleges that failed to comply with mandatory academic and infrastructure norms, effectively shutting them out of this year’s admissions process.The decision means these colleges will not be able to participate in the state CET Cell’s B Ed admission rounds, resulting in a reduction in the total number of seats available for aspiring teacher trainees.The action follows “repeated non-compliance” despite a reprieve granted last year, officials said. The university then proposed cancelling the affiliations of several colleges for failing to appoint approved full-time principals and faculty and for inadequate infrastructure. However, following intervention by the state govt, the institutions were given six months to rectify the deficiencies. They were allowed to continue after paying a penalty of Rs 1 lakh each.A year later, nearly 30 colleges still failed to meet the prescribed conditions, prompting the university to withhold their affiliation for the 2026-27 academic year.The timing is significant, as colleges seeking to participate in the first round of CET admissions are required to submit valid affiliation certificates to the CET Cell by July 10. Without the university’s approval, these institutions will be ineligible to admit first-year B Ed students this year.University officials said the deficiencies go beyond paperwork. Many of the colleges continue to function without approved full-time principals and permanent faculty, relying instead on contractual and temporary teachers. Several of these appointments, officials said, also do not satisfy the required eligibility norms, raising serious concerns over academic quality.“The colleges have continued to collect substantial fees from students without ensuring the minimum standards expected of a teacher education institution,” a university official said, adding that the action was intended to safeguard the quality of the B Ed programme.Academicians have welcomed the move. A principal, requesting anonymity, said several colleges had been avoiding the appointment of qualified permanent faculty for years, contributing to a steady decline in academic standards. “The university’s decision was long overdue,” the principal said.The university has also sought documentary proof of students’ mandatory teaching internships after inspections reportedly found instances where students remained enrolled on paper but were not attending classes regularly. Since internship is a compulsory component of the B Ed curriculum, colleges have been directed to submit records establishing that students have completed the required training.
