A four-member committee of Calcutta University will monitor the functioning of self-financed B.Ed colleges in the city.

The syndicate, one of two highest policy-making bodies of the university, on Tuesday decided to set up the committee after some members pointed out during a meeting that some self-financed B.Ed colleges were charging high tuition fees but providing poor education facilities.

“The panel has been asked to examine the fee structure of the colleges as well as their infrastructure. On the basis of the reports the committee will submit to the authorities from time to time, the university will take appropriate action,” said Tarun Patra, a member of the syndicate and the committee.

There are 33 B.Ed colleges affiliated to Calcutta University, of which nine are self-financed. The other colleges take financial help from the state government.

According to university sources, self-financed colleges charge between Rs 30,000 and Rs 45,000 for the year-long B.Ed course. State-aided B.Ed colleges charge students between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500.

The university has received complaints from students that some of the self-financed colleges do not have adequate number of teachers and proper infrastructure.

An official in a self-financed college said: “The allegation is baseless. The National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE), the national-level body controlling B.Ed education, has made it mandatory for B.Ed colleges to follow certain guidelines. For instance, the colleges are required to maintain a students-teacher ratio of 7:1. The NCTE also has norms in terms of space and laboratory facilities.”

A B.Ed college in south Calcutta that opened last year charges Rs 35,000 per student. An official of the college said: “There are 100 seats in our college and we offer a choice of 13 subjects to our students. We cannot run the course if we charge them less than Rs 35,000.”

Another official of a self-financed college pointed out that the university could not fix the course fee. “A Supreme Court directive concerning functioning of B.Ed colleges said that the state governments should set up committees under the chairmanship of high court judges for fixing the fees of self-financed colleges.

The fees may vary from college to college depending on the facilities offered by the institutions, according to the directive.”