TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT OF TEACHERS
The professional skills of teachers in all categories of institutions except the unrecognised ones are determined by the regulations of the state education departments and examining bodies. The level of professional skill required is fixed in terms of academic and professional qualifications which are taken into consideration for granting recognition and affiliation. Therefore, institutions of various types set up in the public and private sectors adhere to the norms prescribed by the state.
Initial training of teachers (pre-service teacher training) is organised at the following three levels, i.e., pre-school teacher education, elementary teacher education, and secondary teacher education
Pre-school teacher education Pre-school teacher education is organised to prepare teachers for teaching pre-school classes, i.e., nursery and kindergarten. The minimum qualification for admission into the pre-school teacher education programme is secondary or senior secondary examination, i.e., 10 years or 12 years schooling. The duration of the course is one to two years. Preschool teacher training institutions are mostly unaided private institutions.
In the case of nursery teacher education and primary teacher education courses, State Education Departments prescribe a minimum percentage of marks in the qualifying examination as a requirement for admission. Some universities have also fixed a minimum percentage of marks in the B.A./B.Sc. examinations for admission to the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) course.
Elementary teacher education Elementary teacher education is organised to train teachers mainly to teach primary classes from I to 5. The minimum qualification for admission into the elementary teacher education programme is either 10 or 12 years of schooling. Recently, most states have prescribed 12 years schooling as the minimum requirement though some states still have the entry qualification as secondary school examination pass. The programme duration in the majority of states is two years, while in others it is one year. Elementary teacher training institutions are of three types-government, private aided and private unaided. Recently, DIETs have been set up in all the states. An important feature of these is that besides ; providing pre-service teacher education, they also provide in-service education to teachers. Thus, both pre-service and in-service education
are provided under one roof. The number of such institutes is 424. These institutes are government institutions and are fully financed by the Central Government. The total number of elementary teacher training institutions is 1,179.
Secondary teacher education Secondary teacher education institutes prepare teachers to teach classes 6 to 12. The minimum education required for admission to a secondary teacher education programme is graduation in science, social sciences, humanities, commerce, agriculture, etc. A large number of postgraduates also seek admission to these training institutions.
Secondary teacher education is offered by secondary colleges of education which are affiliated to different universities. Some university departments also offer a secondary teacher education programme. The minimum qualification for admission to this programme is graduation. These institutes are of three types: government, private aided and private unaided. At present, there are around 586 secondary colleges of education.
Four Regional Institutes of Education (RIEs), constituent units of the NCERT offer a 4-year integrated course in secondary teacher education. The minimum qualification for admission into this programme is senior secondary, i.e., 12 years of schooling. Recently, the University of Delhi has also started a four year programme in elementary education leading to the degree 'Bachelor of Elementary Education'.
Teacher education institutions follow the reservation policy of the Government of India with regard to the disadvantaged sections of society like SCs and STs and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). At present, 15 per cent posts in the Education Departments and seats in teacher education institutions are reserved for candidates belonging to the SCs. Likewise, 7.5 per cent posts are reserved for candidates belonging to STs. Recently, 27 per cent posts in all services including teaching have been reserved for candidates belonging to OBCs.
Table 7.1 Pre-service Training of Teachers for different Levels of Education
Level of Type of Admission Duration of Diploma/
Education Training Requirements the Course Degree awarded
Pre-primary Private 12 years One to Certificate/Pre-school
Education Unaided of schooling two years in Education
Primary Government 10/12 years One to two Certificate/Diploma in
Education Private Aided of schooling years Elementary Education
Secondary Government Graduation One year Bachelor of Education
Education Private Aided
Private Unaided
Curriculum for teacher education The primary teacher, specially, in the first three grades is expected to teach mainly literacy, numeracy and life skills. Besides these, the teacher is required to have knowledge of the process of a child's growth, development and learning. At the secondary stage, a teacher is expected to be familiar with adolescent psychology and social processes, in addition to knowledge of school subjects.
The curriculum for primary teacher education is developed by state governments/State Boards of Teacher Education and is reviewed from time to time. The curriculum for secondary teacher education developed by universities is also reviewed and updated periodically in the light of changes in the school curriculum, advances in pedagogical science, societal demands, technological advancements and changes in the socioeconomic structures in the country.
The NCERT has developed model curricula for elementary and secondary teacher education. State governments and universities may adopt/ adapt this in their teacher education programmes. The NCERT revises these curricula from time to time. The latest curriculum brought out in 1991 for both levels has the following components:
* Foundation Courses
* Education in Emerging India
* Educational Psychology
* Stage Relevant Specialisation
* Elementary Education and Teacher Functions
* Language Teaching
** Teaching of Mother Tongue
** Teaching of English Language
* Teaching of Mathematics
* Teaching of Environmental Studies (Science)
* Teaching of Environmental Studies (Social Studies)
* Teaching of Health and Physical Education
* Teaching of Art
* Teaching of Work Experience
* Additional Specialisation
* Science Teaching/Social Studies Teaching/Pre-school
Education.
* Elective-one :
** Adult Education
** Non Formal Education
** Social Education
** Tribal Education
** Multiple Class Teaching
** Population Education
** Special Education
** Educational Technology'
* Practicum
* Practical Work
* Internship in Teaching (in Primary and Upper Primary/Pre-
school Systems).
The weightage for different components is mentioned below:
* Foundation Course 20%
* Stage Relevant Specialisation 30%
* Additional Specialisation 10%
* Practicum 40%
It is evident from the weightages mentioned above that the pedagogical component has received a weightage of 80 per cent in the curriculum. The curriculum lays a great deal of emphasis on teaching through child-centred, activity-based and cooperative learning ap-
proaches. Enriching the trainee's knowledge of the content of school subjects is also an important objective of the curriculum.
The components of the secondary teacher education curriculum are the some as that of the elementary teacher education. There are, however, variations in courses depending on the stage for which the teachers are prepared.
Teacher training for special needs To look after children with special needs, the NPE 1986, recommended integrating children with locomotor and mild disabilities in general schools. The implementation of the UNICEF assisted 'Project Integrated Education of the Disabled' (PIED) in ten demonstration sites in different contexts further encouraged policy makers to integrate children with moderate disabilities in general schools, The Multi Site Action Research Project also promoted the need to develop 'effective' schools for all. All these experiences focus on the preparation of the general school system to meet the special needs of not only those with physical impairment but also of those with mental impairments and learning disabilities. A provision has thus been made by the NCERT to orient all teachers and education officers by incorporating a component on special needs in all major inservice training programmes. The emphasis is on preparing general teachers and also moving towards the organisation of primary schools as inclusive schools focussing on meeting individual needs in the classroom. Teachers receiving this training are supported by multi- category trained teachers who were, provided training by 4 RIEs of the NCERT. Teachers absorbed into special schools, mostly single disability schools or those with multiple disabilities such as spastics, cerebral palsy, etc., are trained under the guidance of the National Institutes for the Handicapped as well as some non- governmental organisations with courses accredited by the Rehabilitation Council of India. A number of universities have also started offering B.Ed., and M.Ed., courses in special education.
Recruitment of teachers Different states follow different recruitment procedures. In some states, the recruitment is made on the basis of the candidates performance in a competitive examination, whereas, in some other states, recruitment is made on the basis of the academic and professional background of the candidate. The merit of each candidate is determined on the basis of his/her score in the examinations he/she has passed in addition to previous teaching experience, if any. In some other states, a combination of the two procedures, i.e., performance in a competitive examination and merit determined on the basis of academic credentials is adopted, Some weightage is given to the performance of candidates in an oral examination held through interviewing the candidates.
The qualifications required for the recruitment of * Lecturer in a university/college are:
* Qualifying in the National Test conducted by the UGC or any agency approved by it.
* A Master's degree with of least 55 per cent marks or its equivalent grade and a good academic record.
At the higher education level, 45 Academic Staff Colleges are involved in teacher training and university departments also organise orientation programmes and refresher courses.
Institutional Infrastructure for training The infrastructure for in-service training of teachers exists at the central, state, regional, district and sub-district levels. At the national level, there are the NCERT, the NIEPA, the Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages (CIEFL), Hyderabad, and the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysore.
At the regional level, there are Regional Institutes of Education located in the four regions of the country-Northern, Western, Eastern and Southern. One Regional Institute has been set up recently at Shillong for the states in the northeastern part of India.
At the state level, there are the SCERTs, State Institute of Education (SIE), State Institute of Science Education, IASE, CTEs, SIETs.
Districts have DIETs and In-service Training Institutes. DIETs cater to the in-service education of teachers working at primary and upper primary level. In-service education of secondary teachers is being looked after by CTEs. It is proposed to strengthen 200 CTEs, of which 73 have already been established. The IASEs are looking after the in- service education of senior secondary school teachers, including principals of these schools and the faculty of DIETs.
Recently, in-service training centres have been set up at sub-district level, i.e., block and cluster level. To begin with, these centres are being established in the districts covered under the DPEP.
National Policy on Education and in-service training of teachers In the context of the NPE 1986, the Government of India formulated a national scheme of in-service training of teachers to reach out to primary and secondary school teachers. The objectives of the scheme known as the Programme of Mass Orientation of School Teachers (PMOST) was to sensitise teachers to the emerging concerns in education, UEE, use of learner-centred approach, action research, the emerging role and responsibilities of teachers, enrichment of their knowledge in curricular areas, and other thrust areas enlisted in the NPE. The duration of training was 10 days. The programme was in operation from 1986-90 and about 1.8 million teachers were covered by it. The training programme was strengthened by media support. Films relating to various modules constituting the training print package were telecast on the national network for the benefit of teachers in different parts of the country. Each viewing session was preceded and followed by discussion. A participatory, interactive approach was followed in the training. The programme was implemented by the NCERT in collaboration with the SCERTs in different states.
After the PMOST, another programme/scheme known as the Special Orientation Programme for Primary School Teachers (SOPT) was launched from the year 1993-94 to improve the quality of primary/elementary education as part of the strategy to achieve UEE. The main focus of this programme is implementing the MLLs identified for the primary stage, training in the use of Operation Blackboard materials provided to primary-school teachers, and encouraging teachers to adopt a child- centred approach to teaching. It envisages covering 0.45 million teachers every year. During the past few years, these two schemes of moss orientation have covered more than 2 million teachers. Like PMOST, this programme too, is strengthened by media support. Films on various themes covering the course design are shown to teachers during training programmes.
In most of the states, pre-service teacher education is essential for appointment as a teacher. Therefore, most states do not organise induction programmes for new entrants. However, some organisations like Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti do organise a short induction, programme for newly appointed teachers.
Training for addressing the needs of disadvantaged and minorities
In-service programmes are organised to realise three objectives- awareness, content upgradation and fine-tuning of teaching skills. The duration of a course differs from the others depending upon their nature, objectives and content.
At present, the in-service education of teachers through distance mode is organised on a very limited scale. In-service education is mostly provided through face to face modality. However, recently a programme has been developed to provide in-service education to primary school teachers through distance education mode in the districts covered under the DPEP in which a multi-media approach would be used. The programme will be implemented by the IGNOU in collaboration with the NCERT. Recently, NCERT has successfully experimented with using interactive teleconferencing for training of Primary teachers of Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, This intervention will be upscaled as an important strategy for in-service education.
Besides sensitisation to general problems and priorities of education, the in-service training of teachers is also focussed on specific areas requiring different kinds of competencies. These specific competencies include educating groups with special needs like SC and ST children, disabled children and those belonging to minority communities. Since, these groups have different social, linguistic and physical problems, training and orientation programmes for key persons and teachers working with them have been formulated keeping these in view.
From time to time, the NCERT provides orientation at the national level to key persons working for the education of SCs. This orientation is used by them during the training and also during the orientation programmes they organise for teachers of their states associated with the education of the SCs.
The Welfare Department/Tribal Development Departments in the states, and the UGC through the state colleges also organise remedial programmes to enrich and facilitate teachers working in the areas predominantly inhabited by the SCs and STs.
Training programmes addressed to teachers working in educational institutions of minority groups are in the formulation stage and will be implemented in the coming years. However, as a start, NCERT has designed some orientation and training programmes to help educationally backward minorities. Steps have also been initiated to update the list of minority concentration districts and these shall be made available to voluntary agencies and SCERTs requesting them to include teachers/functionaries of minority schools from these areas in their training programmes.
From the standpoint of promoting integration based on the appreciation of the national goals and ideas in conformity with the objectives of the core curriculum, a study on the analysis of curriculum in terms of specified MILLs at the primary stage is being undertaken