13.6.10 It is reckoned that the newly recruited 'para-teachers' may be given a short (say, two weeks) orientation course before being given job placement. During this course, S/he may be acquainted with the basic strategies and measures adopted for UEE and also be sensitized towards children, particularly girls, from under- priviledged sections of society.
13.6.11 From time to time, the trainees in the Intership Model may be invited either by a local High School or DIET for a sandwich programme of in-service institution-based short term course with a view to enrich theory as well as exchange experiences among the trainees.
Recommendations i) The Internship Model of teacher training may be used extensively for preparing 'para-teachers' during their probationary period. The programme in each Educational Complex may coordinated at the Complex level in close linkage with the DIET. This training would have to be sandwiched with in-service institution- based short term courses in between.
ii) The Internship Model may also be explored as a possible way of training other types of teachers as well.
Training High School Teachers 13.7.1 A revised curriculum has been prepared by the NCTE for the B.Ed. courses. Before the curriculum is finalised, the draft may be sent to the. different training institutions around the country for comments and suggestions. This exercise will also make them feel involved and at the stage of implementation, there will be more readiness to transact the new curriculum.
13.7.2 The Committee considered the integrated model of teachers education which has been practised by the four Regional Colleges of Education, (RCE). In this model, following class XII, trainee is given a 4-year course integrating subject and methodology. At the end a B.Sc.-B.Ed. degree is awarded. The
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Committee observed that this model provides the necessary professional touch to the training and, therefore, needs to be encouraged.
Recommendations i) The new NCTE syllabus for B.Ed. courses should be circulated to all teacher training institutions and State/UT Governments for detailed comments, before the matter is finalised.
ii) Encourage more institutions to open the 4 year integrated course along the lines of Regional Colleges of Education.
Preparing Teacher Educators for Leadership Role 13.8.1 The Committee notes the following situation with concern:
a) The educational objectives and strategies are planned in isolation of those who have to implement them, i.e., the teachers and teacher educators. Consequently, they interpret the objectives and strategies in their own perception and this can even result in action that may be diametrically opposite of what was intended.
b) Further, the teachers and teacher educators do not have any concrete role in policy implementation or its monitoring. Their role is confined to doing only what they are told.
c) The teacher training institutions, irrespective of their level or status, are essentially service institutions, meeting the expectations of policy framers.
13.8.2 The teachers, teacher educators and the training institutions must be assigned a leadership role in all aspects of education policy making, planning, strategy formulation, implementation and monitoring. Unless this is done, the education system is unlikely to respond to exhortations to change and serve the society. True, they lack today the necessary motivation, aptitude' and competence to assume the leadership role, but this cannot be an excuse for not taking the first step forward in the right direction. With appropriate inputs and mechanisms for their growth, a process needs to be generated right away to ultimately place the responsibility where it legitimately belongs. In this, the teacher educator would have a pivotal role.
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13.8.3 The Committee presents the following profile of a teacher educator:
- Should preferably belong to the cadre of school teachers and must have experienced the system at least for a few years;
- should also have exposure to the outside world at large in order to acquire a broader perspective;
- should be of high academic competence;
- should possess an integrated view of knowledge and conviction in the interventionist role of education;
- should carry a historical and socioeconomic understanding of the problems and issues faced by Indian society, as also the world;
- should have empathy and burning concern for the under-privileged;
- should have competence for research and an aptitude for using research as a powerful tool for educational and social development.
- should be distinguished by having personality attributes such as -
a) ability to think and work with a sense of independence,
b) ability to act against the prevalent or populist opinion,
c) ability to convince and catalyse people,
d) ability to lead both by precept and practice,
e) ability for creative and sustained action,
f) ability to mobilise resources, both human and financial, from within and outside the community, and
g) ability to work with different segments of society, including the Government.
- A high motivation for need achievement,
a) a desire to achieve
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b) ability to work even when demotivating factors are, present
c) a willingness to accept responsibility and feel accountable
d) high inter-personal skills
13.8.4 In order to develop such a teacher educator, a special programme of education, having the necessary status and resources, would have to be developed. The programme would give adequate weightage to cognitive, affective and operational components of the role expected of a teacher educator. The institutions running these programmes must play an active role in educational policy making, planning, implementation and monitoring from the very beginning, thereby also providing a 'field situation' in which the trainees of a teacher educator programme would receive training.
Recommendations i) Give the teacher educator a leadership role in all aspects of the educational system, including policy making, strategy formulation, implementation and monitoring.
ii) For the above purpose, organise a specially designed training programme such that all the desired attributes of a teacher educator would be inculcated in the trainee.
Continuing Teacher Education: 13.9.0 It is suggested that the responsibility "or planning and Organisation of the in-service programme should be assigned to the Educational Complexes. They have the advantage of both being not too small and not too big. Being small enough, supervision and care of individual and small group needs is possible. Being large enough, in terms of number of teachers, it will be easier to get resource support from outside the Complex as well, such as from DIET, SCERT and a variety of other institutions , and in particular from the nearest Teacher Education College. It would seem essential, for the health and vigour of the TE College that such on-going and 'regular contacts are maintained with the teachers. While the teachers in the Complex will often prove to be very good resource persons, with a little orientation and support, the EC may require additional support and these can easily be organised. in-service programmes should basically be in small manageable numbers, and hence attempts at Organisation of in-service at state level and worse, at national level, will not prove very effective.
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Recommendation The proposed Educational Complex may be given the responsibility for coordinating and organising in- service teacher training programmes for the teachers in the area of its coverage. In particular, the Complex can provide an effective channel of 'communication between the schools and DIET.
Miscellaneous Issues 13.10.1 The selection, placement and professional updating of Teacher Educators will also require urgent attention. The present practice of often making certain training institutions such as SIE, SISE, Field Offices etc. as dumping grounds for unwanted or troublesome persons is a great injustice to them as well as to the ones who come for training. The practice in several Universities of rotation of Head of the Department, may also be extended to the other categories of teaching staff in the Government. This will provide them a chance to unlearn and relearn in a new situation.
13.10.2 With close to 4 million teachers, the problem of in service assumes much greater urgency. The teacher is a professional like any other professional, such as doctor, engineer or lawyer. To qualify and to remain as a professional person, one must have updated knowledge and skills. Think of a doctor, prescribing drugs banned a decade ago or an engineer using methods that are found to be either very costly or unsafe. There is also a code of professional ethics that applies to every profession. To qualify as a professional, therefore, the teacher must have updated knowledge and skills along with a code of ethics. That is why it is essential that every teacher, without exception go through an in-service education programme once every five or six years. If done as a ritual or to fulfil a prescription from above, or for filling State or national reports, it will serve little purpose. As with other professions, the requirement of updating must be linked to continuing as a professional. Hence the possibility of withdrawing the teaching license must also be there, if some refuse to go through a course of re-orientation or attend without learning anything.
13.10.3 In a recent national workshop, held by NIEPA, (December 1989) a detailed articulation was made of administrative and financial powers that the Heads of Secondary Schools should have in order to function well and to improve the quality of education. Since the workshop was a Government initiative, the recommendations of the workshop may be made applicable in the Government controlled schools, at least as pilot project.
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Recommendations i) The practice of using teacher training institutions as a dumping ground for unwanted or troublesome persons should be stopped forthwith. Instead, competent persons may be brought into these institutions from schools and other Government institutions on a rotational basis.
The continuation of a teacher may be linked with the completion by her/him of the requirement of updating her/his knowledge from time to time.
All the necessary administrative and financial powers be vested with the Head of the institution (i.e. Primary/Middle/High Schools), so that she/he may function with autonomy to fulfil the assigned role.
District Institutes of Education and Training (DIET) 13.11.1 The NPE deserves credit for launching a nation-wide programme of strengthening teacher training institutions at the district-level and giving them the role of identifying and responding to the teacher training requirements of the area of their coverage. During the past three years substantial funds have been provided for construction of buildings, purchase of books and creation of other facilities. The success of DIETs is critically linked with the following factors:
i) The quality of its staff and the principal, and
ii) Its autonomy from SCERTs and the State Governments for taking initiative in organising its own research and training programme.
Reportedly DIETs are often being still viewed in the old mould of Government-controlled teacher training institutions, rather than as autonomous agencies in a decentralised management system,
13.11.2 In view of the new thrust proposed by this Committee, DIETs would have to assume fresh roles to meet the challenges.
Recommendations i) The State Governments must ensure full autonomy to DIETs for embarking upon its own programme of research and training so that these are able to play their expected role in bringing about quality improvement and reform.
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ii) In view of the new thrusts given by this Committee to education, DIETs would have to undertake fresh responsibilities and develop competence in the respective areas as enumerated below:-
a) Universalisation of Elementary Education (UEE);
b) Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE);
c) Women's Education with emphasis or giving a gender perspective to the entire educational process;
d) Education for promoting equity and social Justice among SCs/STs and other equcationally backward sections of society, including minorities
e) Vocationalisation of the entire educational process; and
f) Examination reforms, modularisation multiple entry and exit points.
Status of implementation of the Centrally Sponsored Schemes
of Teacher Education 13.12.0 Twenty-three States have been given assistance by the Central Government under the Scheme of Teacher Education and altogether an amount of Rs.104.70 crores has been released to them during the three year period 1987-90.
This is certainly one of the schemes under which monitoring has been close. Nonetheless, progress cannot be said to be of the desired level. Out of 101 DIETs sanctioned during the year 1987-88 and 11.4 sanctioned during 1988-89, only 70 and 20 respectively have become operational/semi-operational. State Governments have not been forthcoming in giving specific information in respect of the progress made in the establishment of CTEs/IASEs - i.e. 15 of them sanctioned in 1987-88 and 17 in 1988-89. While this is generally the picture at the overall level, the States of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya. Pradesh and Union Territory of Delhi, reportedly, have had reasonably good performance to exhibit.
West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat and certain North Eastern States like Manipur and Tripura are reported to have exhibited virtually no performance after having received assistance from the Government of India.
No State has so far notified the revised recruitment rules for manning the posts in the teacher education institutions.
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The problems in achieving the desired level of progress in the implementation of this scheme would seem to have been hesitation on the part of the State Governments in committing themselves without being assured of continued assistance during the Eighth plan, non- creation of, or delays in, the creation of posts required, lack of reasonable implementation machinery in the States, the usual delays that go with the process of executing works (preparation of plans and estimates, invitations of tenders, awarding of works, obtaining sanctions of the competent technical/administrative authorities etc.) , delays in reflection of the required funds in the State budgets etc.
Recommendations i) Emergent steps should be taken for getting completed all the teacher education institutions for which financial assistance has been given by the Government of India.
ii) Further financial assistance to States which have not so far completed the earlier phases of project implementation should be avoided - i.e. until physical progress is demonstrated in regard to funds given but not yet used.
iii) As the faculty of the DIETs is the most crucial element in the teacher education programme, emergent attention may be given to the filling up of all the posts. Recruitment rules for manning these posts should also be got issued by the State Governments urgently.