(The Gist of Kurukshetra) SUGGESTED REFORMS IN TEACHER EDUCATION [NOVEMBER-2019]

(The Gist of Kurukshetra) SUGGESTED REFORMS IN TEACHER EDUCATION

[NOVEMBER-2019]

SUGGESTED REFORMS IN TEACHER EDUCATION

There is an urgent need to implement the following suggestions for bringing reforms in the teacher education programmes which will certainly be beneficial for rural areas.
There is need to completely overhaul the structure of teacher education, recruitment policy, service conditions, and career management in order to restore high status of the teaching profession.
Professional degree in higher education like M.Ed with specialisation as recommended by NCTE (2014) regulations needs to be implemented. The Government should fill up the vacant posts of faculty immediately.
NCTE has notified to introduce four year integrated Bachelor of Education Programme in arts and science from pre-primary to secondary stages. The draft of National Educational Policy, 2019 also endorsed the above notification. It will help and benefit interaction with higher areas of education and move to multidisciplinary colleges and universities. The admission in these courses should be based on entrance examination at national level to be conducted by National Testing Agency. Merit based scholarships particularly in rural areas should be instituted across the country for studies in four year integrated Bachelor of Education Programme. Large numbers of independent teacher education institutions are established in rural areas. There is an urgent requirement to convert these into multidisciplinary institutions.
The curriculum of teacher education programme needs to be revised and redesigned keeping in view the new thrust areas of the National Curriculum Framework for School (2005), NCTE (2009) and NCTE Regulations (2014, 2019). Therefore, curriculum and pedagogy in teacher education must provide for rigorous theoretical understanding of educational perspectives, subjects and pedagogy along with strong theory-practice connect. These pertinent issues and concerns are to be resolved on the basis of researches and experiments.
INSET ( In-Service Education of Teachers) requires systematic and comprehensive policy by strengthening and coordinating the national level institutions such as University Grants Commission, National Council of Educational Research and Training(NCERT), National Institute of Educational Planning and Administrators (NIEPA), National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) and state level institutions like State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERTs), university departments, College of Teacher Education, etc.