India, June 10 -- The future of thousands of Bachelor in Education (BEd) aspirants in the state has been thrown into uncertainty after the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) decided to cancel the recognition of 295 BEd colleges in the state. This move is part of a nationwide evaluation of teacher education institutions. It could lead to a reduction of more than 16,000 seats in Maharashtra and severely impact admissions for 2025-26.

The NCTE initiated a scrutiny process last month following concerns over the functioning and quality of BEd colleges across the country. Many institutions reportedly failed to submit the required evaluation reports by the May 31 deadline. As a result, they have lost their recognition and are not per...