Azim Premji University said on Thursday a study conducted by it has revealed the presence of many sub-standard, dysfunctional teacher education institutions (TEIs) functioning as 'commercial shops'.

Of the 17,503 TEIs in the country, more than 90 per cent are privately-owned, stand-alone institutions, offering single programmes localised in certain geographies, it found.

The University released its first 'Issues in Education' volume on 'Teachers and Teacher Education'.

It said 26 out of 29 private TEIs studied do not have the required number of teacher educators and adopt deliberate corrupt practices to hide this issue.

Most private TEIs in the study deliberately neglect basic curricular requirements that are committed by them to get the approval to run the programmes, it revealed.

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Almost all allowed students with a shortage of attendance to appear for examinations, the study found.

Most TEIs do not have basic instructional facilities: curriculum laboratories were not available in more than 50 per cent; more than 30 per cent did not have libraries, computer labs or seminar halls, it was stated.

"The dysfunctional Teacher Education system is at the core of India's problems in school education.

" "Till we address this comprehensively, all efforts at improving the quality of our schooling is like treating the skin, while aggressive cancer corrodes the body everywhere inside," Anurag Behar, Vice-Chancellor, Azim Premji University, said.