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JAMMU: University of Kashmir (UoK)’s latest BEd Admission notification, which limits applications to only two private colleges, has led to large-scale de-affiliation of nearly 55 colleges, with far-reaching consequences for employment, private higher education and Kashmir’s ability to attract students from outside Jammu and Kashmir.According to the notification issued by UoK for the 2025-2027 session, only two colleges are recognised by National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) and have invited applications from eligible candidates for admission to two-year BEd programmes.Professor C L Vishen, president of Kashmir Private BEd Colleges’ Association, said about 75 BEd colleges were operating in the Valley before 2019. After the nullification of Article 370 in 2019, NCTE norms became applicable to J&K, and the number of colleges shrank, primarily because most institutions did not meet the requirement of transferring land to the college trust.Prof Vishen, however, said that the provision in the 2014 NCTE Amendment Act regarding land transfer did not have a retrospective effect in J&K and should not apply to most colleges in Kashmir, as they had been established before 2014. “We repeatedly pointed this out to NCTE but received no response. Even the CM has recommended our case to Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, but there has been no outcome so far,” Vishen said. Syed Masroor Andrabi, chairperson of Chinab Valley College of Education, said BEd colleges in Kashmir stood at the verge of closure. “It is not merely an academic concern but a serious employment and social crisis. These institutions sustain thousands of students, teachers, and non-teaching staff, and serve as a crucial pipeline for trained educators in our schools,” Andrabi said.A senior UoK official said after the nullification of Article 370, NCTE had granted repeated relaxations to colleges, asking them to complete documentation, including transfer of land to the college trust, for several years, but the colleges didn’t fulfil the requirements, forcing NCTE to act this year.University officials said once land is transferred, the process becomes irrevocable, which has caused hesitation among some institutions. “Admissions for this year are already over. If colleges fulfil the requirements by next June, they will be allowed to admit students again,” said an official.
