Dumka, June 22: Sido Kanhu Murmu University (SKMU) today decided to suspend BEd courses being run by its five constituent colleges for a year, against the backdrop of the state HRD department’s recent directive to strictly follow the National Council for Teacher Education’s (NCTE) guidelines.

The SKMU syndicate, the second highest policy making body of the varsity, took the decision at a meeting presided over by varsity’s vice-chancellor M. Basheer Ahmad Khan.

“The syndicate has resolved to withhold the process of admission for BEd courses during the next academic session of 2013-14 in view of the prevailing deficiencies at the colleges,” Sambhu Prasad Singh, the varsity’s public relation officer, told The Telegraph.

The five colleges to be affected by the decision are SP College in Dumka, Godda College, KKM College in Pakur, AS College in Deoghar and Sahebganj College.

Though the syndicate decided to put the admission process on hold for a year, sources said it would take more than that for the colleges to fulfil all the criteria to start the courses afresh.

Deoghar College principal Sitaram Singh, who is also a syndicate member, said these were self-financed courses and the colleges were finding it difficult to generate funds.

“We used to charge only Rs 24,000 per student, which was not enough to arrange for proper infrastructure facilities — mandatory under the NCTE guidelines,” Singh pointed out.

Following a Supreme Court order passed in December last year, the HRD department on June 18 directed the varsity to adhere to the norms laid down by the NCTE.

Proper infrastructure, including separate buildings, laboratory and library facilities, and appointed of regular teachers and non-teaching employees are among the basic conditions that the colleges need to fulfil.

Besides, the colleges are expected to stick to the academic calendar as mandated by the NCTE.

However, none of the five colleges, which were granted NCTE nod in 2005, have been able to meet any of these guidelines even after eight years.