The Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) cancelled recognition of 68 Intermediate colleges/schools on Tuesday for unsatisfactory response to showcause notices issued to them over not fulfilling board norms.

Replies have also been sought from 19 other institutions within 15 days on why their affiliation should not be cancelled.

All these institutions are among the 212 schools/colleges that have been under BSEB's scanner since the Intermediate result scam surfaced around July this year. These were granted affiliation during Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh's tenure as board chairman. He is now a prime accused in the scam case and has been charge-sheeted.

"These schools were granted affiliation flouting BSEB norms. The institutions lack necessary infrastructure and are severely short on teachers and non-teaching employees," said chairman Anand Kishor.

Around August and September, BSEB had prepared a list of 144 institutions that were then issued showcause notices and asked to reply within 15 days. The board found replies of the 68 institutions unsatisfactory and cancelled their affiliation.

The BSEB norms state an unaided school/college should have at least 2 acres of land, infrastructure for accommodating 350 students, library with 500 books, separate laboratory for physics, chemistry, biology, geography, home science and computer. The BSEB guidelines also mention details of faculty members with their qualifications and salary, but majority of the schools/colleges under scanner are short on the requirements.

The Telegraph visited some of the schools/colleges on September 24 to assess the ground realty, only to discover that a lot of them lacked the basic infrastructure, while few existed only on paper. This correspondent visited Keshav Bindeshwari Higher Secondary School (Arwal) and Ranjita Inter College in Bairam Sarai, Ghosi, Jehanabad - two of the institutions issued the showcause notices - among others. Keshav Bindeshwari was 50m from the Arwal-Jehanabad state highway in a narrow lane, and was running from a rented building.

The Jehanabad "college" existed on paper as the residents of the area claimed they had have never seen the college open. Affiliation of these two institution were among those cancelled on Tuesday.

Of the 68 schools that lost their affiliation, eight are from Arwal district, five each from Aurangabad and Nawada districts and six from Buxar district. "As these schools' affiliations have been cancelled, the students will be tagged to nearby schools so that their study is not hampered," Kishor said, while announcing registration dates for next year's matriculation and Intermediate examinations.