A three member fact-finding committee, which started its survey last year, has found the academic, administrative and infrastructure arrangements of these colleges to be `unsound' and recommended debarring admissions to these institutions. This has been upheld by the Academic Council. V-C Dr Snehalata Deshmukh stated: ``We have sent the colleges a letter asking them to upgrade their facilities by November. Then, we will send the committee again to see whether the colleges have actually abided by our directions or not.''

These institutes are the Bombay Teachers' Training College, Chembur Comprehensive College of Education, Khilafat College of Education, Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society's College of Education, Janaseva S MCollege of Education, Gurukrupa College of Education, Nagrik Shiskshan Sanstha's College of Education, Government College of Education and Oriental Education Trust's National College of Education. The first two colleges were pulled up for their part-time courses, and the rest for their full-time courses. They were found to be lacking in facilities like drinking water, common room, canteen, hostel and library. Some principals were found to be over-age and unqualified, and some teachers and librarians had not cleared their national and state eligibility tests. Some of the appointments had not been approved by the university, and some of the colleges had not applied for National Council for Teacher's Education, the apex body for BEd courses. All colleges were found to be demanding excess fees from students.

Refuted Dr K T Bhatia, principal of the Bombay Teachers' Training College, which got an A for its full-time course: ``The committee observed student dissatisfaction, but they have not elaborated on this.So what do you expect us to improve upon?'' While affirming that the college charges an additional amount, she claimed that it was nowhere near what the committee had said (Rs 3,000). ``We charge Rs 1,200 extra for computer training and Rs 200 for activities like excursions and seminars,'' she maintained.

The secretary of Chembur Education Society, governing the Chembur Comprehensive College of Education, Avinash R Tambe, stated: ``I am unaware of the correspondence between the committee and the former principal, under whose tenure they inspected the institute,'' he stated.