87 private BEd colleges to file contempt petition in Patna HC against Bihar univ over affiliation row

The recent resolution of the syndicate of Magadh University in south central Bihar to transfer its affiliation of 87 private B Ed colleges to Aryabhatta Knowledge University (AKU) has snowballed into a major controversy.

The AKU, established by the government of Bihar for the development and management of educational infrastructure related to technical, medical, management and allied professional education in the state, has outrightly rejected the MU resolution and categorically denied no-objection certificate (NOC) or affiliation to these private colleges.

Claiming that the matter related to affiliation was sub-judiced, the affected BEd colleges have decided to file a contempt petition against the MU, in the Patna high court.

Justifying the June 15 resolution , Qamar Ahsan, vice-chancellor of Bodh Gaya-based MU, 110 kms south of Patna, said the decision was in accordance with the Bihar Universities Act. The syndicate or senate was empowered under the law to initiate such resolutions, he said, adding that the state now had a university (read AKU) exclusively for granting affiliation to all technical and professional colleges. “If there is a technical university in Bihar now, why should we bear the burden of 87 private BEd colleges?” he asked.

Rejecting the contention of Ahasan, AKU vice-chancellor Samarendra Pratap Singh said, “How can the Magadh University syndicate recommend transfer of affiliation of private B Ed colleges to AKU? The MU syndicate is quite ignorant about the rules and statute of our university. We grant affiliation or NOC only to the government colleges and consider affiliation to private colleges only in case of recommendation by the state government.”

He, however, added: “The state government, taking into consideration the circumstances under which the resolution was adopted by MU syndicate, will never do so. We have already put an embargo on issuing NOC to private technical or vocational colleges and there is no chance to grant affiliation to these BEd colleges.”

The association of the private colleges said the MU vice-chancellor had been acting against the law. “We have already filed a case in the court over the affiliation issue and the matter is sub-judiced. We are now going to file a contempt petition. We are accountable only to the NCTE. The state government, Raj Bhawan and the vice-chancellor had no authority to deny affiliation under any circumstances,” Bihar Teachers’ Training Colleges’ Association general secretary Brajendra Kumar Chaubey said.

The MU syndicate had on June 15 adopted a resolution to transfer affiliation of all 87 BEd colleges, besides vocational institutions under it to the AKU. It had also put the seal of approval on the disaffiliation of 58 colleges, which in its opinion, had violated rules and norms to grant admissions to students, without clearance from the MU, after they had been derecognised by the state.