REVISIONS IN TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMME: ISSUES AND PROSPECTS

ABSTRACT

In a landmark directive towards ensuring quality teacher education, the National Council of Teacher Education has made sweeping changes from this academic session. It has increased the duration of B.Ed. programme from one year to two years with major changes in curriculum. However, the revision in the norms regarding duration of the course and curriculum is the result of extensive and exclusive debates and discussions. It has emerged as an idea that has been expressed at various forums over the years. Now that the execution phase has begun, the idea is to be analysed in terms of its actual feasibility. It is to be seen whether the prolonged course duration proves into historical transformation in the system of education or turns to be rather 'a not so preferable profession' in the era of professionalism and human capital. However, it is even more pertinent to understand why such changes were felt needed and what strategies have been evolved to implement the revisions effectively. So far the studies have established that the existing training programme does not provide adequate opportunities to the student teachers to develop competency because of the anomalies and defects in the system of implementation of the programme and curriculum of the programme