WB bars 38 pharmacy colleges from admissions; de-affiliates 14 ITIs, clears 337 B.Ed colleges

West Bengal has barred 38 pharmacy colleges from admitting students for the current academic year and de-affiliated 14 industrial training institutes (ITIs) following inspections ordered by the state government. The government has also allowed 337 B.Ed colleges to begin admissions for the 2026–28 academic session after a second round of inspections, while 205 institutions have been asked to improve their standards by the end of this year.

Sharing details of the inspection exercise on November 5, Jaganath Chattopadhyay said the Higher Education Department and Technical Education Department had decided to inspect B.Ed colleges, ITIs, polytechnic institutions and pharmacy colleges offering Diploma in Pharmacy (DPharm) and Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) courses. He said the decision followed Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's direction to ensure that education was not treated as a commercial activity and that academic standards were maintained and protected.

Also read West Bengal accounts for 3.96% of India's scientists in world's top 2% list, Jagannath Chattopadhyay says

West Bengal B.Ed college inspection highlights

According to Chattopadhyay, 156 B.Ed colleges were permitted to admit students for the 2026–28 academic session following the first phase of inspections. However, 451 colleges failed to meet the prescribed standards and were given 21 days to improve their performance. Of these, nine colleges did not return for the subsequent inspection.

The colleges that returned were subjected to a second round of inspections. Chattopadhyay said the second round was conducted by a different set of inspectors from those who had carried out the first inspection.

Based on the second-round reports, 337 colleges were found to have met the required standards and were allowed to begin admissions from November 4 for the 2026–28 academic session.

Also read At 7 IITs, 1,495 reserved SC, ST, OBC faculty posts vacant; IIT Kharagpur alone has 710, reveals RTI data

The remaining 205 colleges failed to meet the standards. However, the government does not intend to de-affiliate these institutions at this stage. Instead, they have been asked to improve their performance by the end of 2026. The improvements must cover infrastructure, faculty, student-related facilities and teaching-learning standards. These colleges may be permitted to admit students in the next academic session if they fulfil the requirements, Chattopadhyay said.

The latest inspection drive follows BSAEU's earlier action against private teacher-training colleges, when the university withheld affiliation from 253 institutions over alleged violations of NCTE regulations in November 2023.

A September 2024 Careers360 investigation had also highlighted concerns over alleged irregularities in admissions, student attendance, faculty availability and infrastructure at private B.Ed colleges in Murshidabad.

Govt de-affliates 14 ITIs, bars 38 pharmacy colleges from admission

The inspection exercise has also resulted in action against ITIs, pharmacy colleges and polytechnic institutions across the state. Of the 265 ITIs inspected, 14 were de-affiliated because they did not have basic infrastructure, Chattopadhyay said. Similarly, 38 of the 134 pharmacy colleges offering DPharm and BPharm courses have been directed not to admit students during the current academic year. In the case of polytechnic institutions, one of the 74 colleges inspected has been asked to stop admitting students.

Government says no punitive action against institutions

Chattopadhyay said the government was taking these measures to retain the quality of education and ensure that academic institutions did not function like commercial establishments. He clarified that the government was not taking punitive action against the institutions. Colleges and institutes that failed to meet the required standards have been given an opportunity to improve their infrastructure and educational quality.

Institutions that fulfil the prescribed requirements may receive permission to admit students in the next academic year, he said.