Cows grazing on B.Ed college land? Bhopal teaching institutes under lens
After the controversies over "hospitals on paper" and fake appointments in Madhya Pradesh, fresh questions have emerged over the state's teacher training institutions. An on-ground
After the controversies over "hospitals on paper" and fake appointments in Madhya Pradesh, fresh questions have emerged over the state's teacher training institutions. An on-ground investigation by India Today TV in and around Bhopal has uncovered glaring discrepancies between official records and the reality at several B.Ed. colleges responsible for training future teachers. The investigation found institutions that existed in university records but were missing at their declared locations. Read Full Story In some cases, the listed address led to open farmland. Elsewhere, buildings had remained shut for years, while another college was found operating from within the premises of a school and a society office. The findings have also raised a larger question: despite serious deficiencies flagged during university inspections, why were 125 private colleges granted conditional affiliation merely on the basis of notarised affidavits? LAND FOR COWS, NOT FOR COLLEGE? The India Today TV team first travelled to Mugaliya Kot village on Vidisha Road, around 35 kilometres from Bhopal. According to Barkatullah University records, Shri Ram College of Education was supposed to be functioning on Khasra numbers 148/149/2/1. However, there was no trace of any educational institution at the site. Instead of classrooms, students and faculty, the team found an empty field where buffaloes and cows were grazing. There was no building, no signboard and no indication that a teacher training college had ever operated there. Local resident Khuman Singh Lodhi told India Today TV that although he had heard the name Shri Ram College for years, he had never actually seen the college or any students studying there.
The investigation also found that two more institutions—Millennium College and Baglamukhi College—were listed under the same land records. ANOTHER COLLEGE SHUT FOR YEARS The India Today TV team then searched for Baglamukhi College. The building identified as the college was found locked and apparently abandoned. On inspecting the rear side of the premises, the team discovered that the ground floor was being used as a tailoring and embroidery training centre. Residents of the locality said the B.Ed. college had remained closed ever since the Covid-19 pandemic and had not resumed operations for the last five to six years. The contrast between university records and conditions on the ground once again raised doubts over whether the institution was functioning at all. COLLEGE CAMPUS OF SOCIETY OFFICE? The next stop in the investigation was Bawadiya Kalan in Bhopal, where Savior College of Education was located. Unlike the previous sites, a college building did exist. However, the premises were shared with a school and the office of a local society. University inspection reports had earlier pointed out deficiencies at this institution as well. When questioned by India Today TV, the college management maintained that all shortcomings highlighted during the inspection had since been rectified. According to the management, when the inspection team revisited the institution on July 7, it found the college complying with the required standards. Based on that assessment, approval for granting recognition to Savior College was recommended during the university meeting. WIDESPREAD DISCREPANCIES The controversy stems from inspections conducted across private B.Ed.
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