Bhubaneswar: In a move that will see many students entering the teaching profession, the state govt Saturday said it will introduce more seats in the Bachelor of Education (BEd) programme in the new academic session.Higher education minister Suryabanshi Suraj informed the assembly that in the new 2026-27 academic session, the higher education department has decided to add 1,400 more seats under the Integrated Teacher Training Programme (ITEP) in both public universities and govt degree and autonomous colleges. It is a four-year dual-major undergraduate degree offering BA BEd, BSc BEd and BCom BEd, and the course will prepare teachers for the four stages of the new school structure, which are foundational, preparatory, middle and secondary.Currently, 16 teacher education institutions (TEIs) in the state offer two-year BEd with a seat strength of 1,700, and 15 institutions, including govt degree colleges and universities, offer it in self-financing mode with a total seat strength of 750.Under the National Education Policy-2020, the four-year ITEP was started across the country in the 2023-24 academic year and then just one institute in Odisha, Maharaja Purna Chandra College in Baripada, introduced the course with 100 seats.However, in the new academic session, which begins on July 10, ITEP will be offered in seven govt degree colleges, with each institution having 100 seats in the course. These institutions include the most sought-after BJB and Rajdhani colleges in Bhubaneswar, SCS College in Puri, and Fakir Mohan College in Balasore. Besides, seven public universities, including Utkal and Ravenshaw, will offer ITEP with seat strength varying between 50 and 150.The move comes in response to a persistent shortage of BEd seats, which has long forced many students from Odisha to seek admission in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. Education experts say the demand for BEd courses has surged in recent years due to increasing awareness about career opportunities in teaching, coupled with the requirement of a BEd degree for most govt and private school teaching positions.
