Training the trainers Besides recommending an increase in state investment in teacher training, the report also stresses other reforms in the sector, including an increase in the duration of BEd and MEd degrees — from the present one-year format to two years — and modifications in their course content. The former suggestion was among the few that seemingly got a shot in the arm last week, when news reports suggested that at a meeting with a group of Vice Chancellors of several universities, the HRD Minister, Smriti Irani, had agreed to increase the duration of the two courses. Reportedly, Irani also agreed to push for other reforms such as linking elementary teachers’ training to the university system. Currently, elementary teachers’ training is not linked to the university system, and teacher education happens outside university campuses. To fix this, Batra points to the report’s suggestions of introducing four-year integrated programmes within the university system (at the undergraduate level) across the country, as well as shifting the course content to a multi-disciplinary one. An inter-disciplinary course within the university campus would train teachers in critical thinking, and involve teacher- educators who are specialists and not generalists, as is the current norm. As the government mulls on the implementation of these reforms, time is running out. By 2015, India is committed to the goal of providing universal elementary education as part of the Millenium Development Goals, which can only be accomplished effectively by fixing teacher shortages. And Badarpur wouldn’t be a bad place to begin with. Sours-TOI
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 07:24:08 +0000
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