The University of Calicut will file an appeal within a week with the National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE) over the lose of recognition of 11 teacher education centres directly run by it.
This was decided at a Syndicate meeting held here on Monday, which also discussed the steps being taken for a self-study report for National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).
The NCTE recently cancelled the recognition for these centres while pointing out that they did not follow guidelines or instructions of the council. Their immediate closure was sought. Though these centres are supposed to have their own land and buildings, those run by the university are working out of rented premises. The duration of B.Ed. courses were increased from one year to two years according to an amendment in NCTE regulations in 2014 and the centres were asked to file an affidavit about this. However, the university teacher education centres did not do so. The centres which lost recognition are at Chakkittapara, Kallayi, and Vadakara in Kozhikode, Manjeri and Malappuram in Malappuram, Valappad, Aranattukara, and Chalakkudi in Thrissur, Sulthan Bathery and Kaniyambetta in Wayanad, and Koduvayoor in Palakkad.
The academic future of many students are now in peril as classes have started for the first-year students after the first allotment. The NCTE has categorically said that these people would not be eligible to teach in any institution. University authorities, however, allayed the fears and said admissions would continue. Documents proving the ownership of buildings and qualification of teachers would be presented to the NCTE soon, they said.
Meanwhile, the Syndicate decided to institute post-doctoral fellowships to promote research works. Cash awards would be given to best research papers. Expert teachers from abroad would be invited to the university departments as visiting professors. The 22 projects submitted by the Internal Quality Assurance Cell were approved by the Syndicate. A campus radio, one of them, would be launched in January next year.
