LUCKNOW, Sept. 3 -- While the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 mandates internships for students, some private colleges on the periphery of the state capital, almost 13 km from the city centre, are allegedly offering diploma in elementary education (D.El.Ed) while bypassing the mandatory requirement. The D.El.Ed courses are run at various colleges across the country with approval of National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). The council mandates a month-long training in each semester during the two-year course. However, when the reporter and a photographer posing as a potential candidate and guardian respectively visited two institutions randomly, they found a nexus running at these institutions. At a college on Hardoi Road near Bilali Masjid, a teacher said when students facing any family problems are not able to complete their internships, they somehow manage the marks. On enquiring, the teacher said: "It is all taken care of by fulfilling the requirements of the school the student has to complete their internship in." "The price to complete an internship without actually doing it can be anything like providing planters to donating branded tables and chairs for students that may cost around Rs 2,500. By giving this, you will be able to secure marks for the same," she said. HT has a visual proof of the conversation. At another college near Barawankala Mall Road, the admission officer said a month-long internship can be completed by just visiting the assigned school 2-3 times in the first few days. On being contacted, National Council for Teacher Education chairperson Prof Pankaj Arora said, "We have not received any official complaints about the issue. We will definitely look into the matter if we receive any complaints." Principal, DIET, Lucknow, Ajay Singh said: "DIET only gives approval to marks uploaded by the colleges on the official website of the Examination Regulatory Authority. In case we find any discrepancies in the marks awarded, we do not approve them." "Our semester began in July and was meant to be completed by December. The portal for submission of marks related to internship was opened in January but we began pursuing our internship in February. While we have secured good marks in other papers, we were marked absent in the internship," alleged a student requesting anonymity. "When we tried contacting DIET, we were informed that the college was supposed to get the internships completed by December but they submitted the request to assign internships to the block officer only in first week of January due to which we were marked absent in the internship," the student claimed....