Bhubaneswar, Feb. 25: The state government has decided to add 2,500 Bachelor of Education (BEd) seats in 17 government colleges and seven universities to meet the shortage of trained teachers across Odisha.

The State Council of Educational Research and Training has also tied up with institutes, such as the National Institute of Science Education and Research (Niser), Bhubaneswar, and the Azim Premji foundation to help it train teachers.

"Niser will help us train teachers in mathematics. Students can enrol for these courses from the next academic session," said council director A.B. Ota.

The state council has already written to the National Council of Educational Research and Training, seeking its permission to start the courses. The state government is also planning to put in place a new teacher training policy by May.

Earlier, the state government had asked the vice-chancellors of Berhampur, North Odisha, Fakir Mohan, Utkal, Sambalpur and Ravenshaw universities to identify degree colleges affiliated with them where BEd courses could be launched.

Odisha is the only state in the country where private colleges have not been allowed to start BEd courses since 1982.

The absence of private BEd colleges as well as their government counterparts has led many students to enrol into institutions in the neighbouring states by paying huge course fees.

There have been many cases where agents pretending to be admission officials from of fictitious BEd colleges outside the state have taken students for a ride.

The state has 16 independent government-run teachers' training colleges affiliated to various universities that offer BEd courses. There are a total of 1,728 BEd seats, of which 1,628 seats are under the school and mass education department and another with 100 are under the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes development department.

The Central University of Odisha and the Regional Institute of Education, Bhubaneswar, also offer the two-year teachers' training courses.