Around 50 students staged a protest in Chamarajpet, Bengaluru, accusing an educational institute of duping them through a fraudulent BEd degree programme. The students, who had enrolled nearly a year ago, claimed they never wrote even a single semester exam for the two-year (four-semester) course and were repeatedly misled by the institution.
Despite paying ₹35,000 in fees per semester, they were not issued hall tickets or given valid information about their examinations. “There are more than 100 students in the same situation. Just last week, we discovered the institute isn’t affiliated with Bangalore University,” said Sitara, one of the protesting students.
Many of the affected candidates are married women seeking teaching credentials to improve their career prospects. One student shared, “I’m working as an assistant teacher earning ₹12,000 monthly. I joined this course to enhance my qualifications. We found the institute online and through references, but they gave conflicting information about their affiliated college.”
Students were made to submit assignments as part of what was described as a 70:30 evaluation model. Priyadharshini R, 31, who left her job as a nursery teacher to pursue the course, said the institute falsely claimed partnerships with 10 BU-affiliated colleges offering BEd under management quota.
“It turns out the only linked college is allegedly operated by the same group and isn’t BU-recognized,” she explained. She’s been waiting for over a year to sit for her first-semester exam, originally scheduled for May 12 under Bangalore University guidelines.
Authorities are now investigating the claims.
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