Boring Road: Governor Satya Pal Malik on Thursday came down heavily on the BEd colleges mushrooming in Bihar, saying he would end the clout of the education mafia.

"There is hardly a leader who has not opened a BEd College in Bihar. They take admissions of students illegally. After that we have to give permission to them to conduct exams because the future of students are at stake. During inspection day, they will show faculty members taken from another college as their own. They do not take consent from either me or the chief minister," Malik, who is the ex-officio chancellor of the state's universities, said from a public platform in Patna on the occasion of Yuwa Mahotsav hosted by A.N. College.

The governor said the education mafia had ganged up against him and he would play a pro-active role to end their clout. "I do not fear anyone. I have the mandate given to me by the President and the Prime Minister. I have the rulebooks with me and I will strictly go by the rules," he said, asking the gathering to support his actions against the illegally sprouting BEd colleges so that they are unable to extort money from the students.

The governor did not give any details of how the education mafia were ganging up against him and his office. Nor did anyone from his office provide any explanation.

Malik announced he would hold a joint entrance examination for BEd Colleges to bring transparency in these institutions. He also rattled out the steps he had taken to improve higher education in Bihar - enforcing an academic and exam calendar, updating the syllabus, biometrics attendance, improving common room and girls' room facilities etc.

The problem highlighted by the governor is not new. Over 110 BEd colleges are recognised by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) in the 38 districts of Bihar. Patna itself has as many as 18. "The modus operandi is that affiliation is taken from the regional office of NCTE in Odisha and if the university doesn't give affiliation, then they move court using the plea of the future of students," said an official of the education department.

JDU MLC and former education minister Ashok Choudhary recalled that during his tenure, he, with the consent of the chief minister, had ordered a survey of all BEd Colleges in Bihar by the district magistrates.

"We could not do it because the college owners formed an association and got a stay from the court. But most of the colleges are running without basic infrastructure. We do not have any opposition to running a BEd college. But these colleges are running institutes without buildings and most of all without teachers. The name of one teacher crops up in several colleges," Choudhary said.

Governor Malik hinted at the political clout enjoyed in this "flourishing industry". Leaders cutting across party lines have opened BEd colleges. In the intermediate toppers' scam, which erupted in 2016, Baccha Rai, one of the main accused who enjoyed patronage of powerful politicians, also operated BEd colleges.

The present education minister, Krishna Nandan Prasad Verma, said there was nothing wrong with politicians opening colleges.

"The more important thing is that if the colleges are being run properly. The honourable governor has a desire to streamline the education system in Bihar. I will fully support the steps he takes in this direction," Verma said.