Questions raised over SNDT’s MEd course

Officials of SNDT Women's University have reportedly asked 75 students of the MEd course to return home for 10 days without citing any reasons. According to sources, the reason behind this move was that the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) had issued a notice to the university on February 5, saying the course was illegal.

A source said that the NCTE had not granted recognition to the MEd course at SNDT Women's University and had asked the university to discontinue the same with immediate effect. However, Soudamini Memon, in-charge of SNDT's Gujarat campus, refused to comment to this, but later said the move was politically motivated and that she was not the right person to talk to regarding this.

A source said that Satyam College of Education in Bharuch had applied to the NCTE for recognition of its MEd course in 2007, but did not take permission and admitted students examined by SNDT. SNDT later discontinued the MEd course at Satyam college and launched a course at a campus at Maninagar in Ahmedabad as an extension of the MEd programmes conducted by it in Mumbai and Pune.

A source confirmed that a letter had been sent to NCTE by the campus in-charge of SNDT a few days back, which said that the course had been shifted from Bharuch to Maninagar. However, SNDT did not submit an application with the NCTE regarding the extension of the course at Maninagar.