Latest news with #B.El.Ed
Indian Express
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Opinion We must accept reforms in teacher education. Nostalgia does no good
In her article titled 'Teacher Education in India needs much more than a one-size-fits-all formula' (IE, April 28) Anamika makes a case to reintroduce and expand the programme, which the Draft NCTE (Recognition Norms and Procedure) Regulations, 2025, has proposed to phase out. While was introduced with a promise in the academic year 1994-95; it remained confined to a few colleges within the University of Delhi and struggled to expand. Today, as India embraces a new policy paradigm under the NEP 2020, to which I have contributed, our focus must shift from sentimental defenses of legacy programmes to building future-ready systems. Nonetheless, this transition has been difficult for all ecosystems globally, as policymakers want to influence what learners learn in classrooms. The proposed Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) offers a coherent, flexible, and forward-looking alternative. Understandably, some concerns have been raised. But resisting reform to preserve a course rooted more in institutional nostalgia than in contemporary needs does little to serve the students and teachers. The existing programmes have failed and disregarded the evolving needs of the students. However, ITEP brings coherence and cultivates the desire to become a teacher. Otherwise, students interested in becoming teachers have confusing and conflicting pathways. Proponents of maintaining the status quo have raised concerns about the suitability of ITEP to contemporary needs. This is misreading the draft regulations and the larger policy intent for three reasons. First, the regulations are attempting to establish academic freedom within the curriculum discipline. Thus, if a department offering ITEP believes that it must begin 'with an introduction to the Indian Constitution that serves as a moral compass for every teacher,' it is empowered to do so. As academicians, we are expected to bring innovation to our teaching and research methods. Having said that, of course, the larger question about standardisation and university autonomy is important and must be collectively and continuously thought about for creating a strong education system in India. Moreover, such efforts by regulatory institutions must be backed by adequate reasoning built through intensive and diverse stakeholder consultations. Some of the criticisms raised by Anamika are worthy of being further explored and addressed by the regulators. Second, ITEP offers better and efficient regulation for both the regulator and students, as the very nature of learning experiences a radical transformation. For instance, might not lead to smooth transitions under the proposed academic bank of credits. Such ease in both creating and receiving innovative ideas is intricately linked to the importance of 'universal access to quality education' as articulated in NEP 2020's introduction. This is the current regime's intent towards inclusive teacher education, which the education minister Dharmendra Pradhan has often emphasised. It is useful to reflect that this move also has second-order effects, such as curbing the activities of 'profit-accruing' teacher-education colleges run by private entities that have mushroomed in the past few decades. Third, it is hard to decipher how is a better alternative to ITEP in ensuring quality training. The 'much sought-after' nature of could simply be the case of the strong reputation commanded by the Department of Education, University of Delhi, and not a concentrated popularity of the course. Arguments have also been raised that offers specialised training that caters to all curricula. It is tough to comprehend this as ITEP students graduate with a dual advantage: A general degree and a specialisation in preparatory, foundational, or secondary-level education. This flexibility is essential for creating a professional teaching workforce equipped for the future. Moreover, by design, ITEP has been woven as an Indian response to integrate world-class pedagogies and related techniques for better educational outcomes at large. In other words, ITEP is antithetical to the image of regression that is being imposed on it by critics. At this stage, it is also useful to acknowledge that we often develop an emotional attachment to some programmes, sometimes at the expense of adapting to new realities. Education is an ever-evolving sector as it continuously replaces the old with the new, which requires a resilient mindset. Innovation must evolve and scale. India's teacher education system is not short of diagnoses — most stakeholders recognise the deep-rooted maladies, from the declining attractiveness of teaching as a profession to the insufficient pool of well-trained educators. As Anamika has rightly argued, we need support in the system, but that must be quality support. Thus, what is needed now is a broader, future-facing debate about what kind of content and training we must provide our teachers to prepare them to holistically educate future generations. In this context, ITEP is among the best, most future-ready options we can offer to aspiring teachers. It aligns with global trends, simplifies academic progression, and builds a coherent foundation for professional excellence in teaching. Constructive suggestions to strengthen ITEP are welcome, but resisting reform merely to preserve legacy programmes is a disservice to students and the larger education system we strive to strengthen.
Hindustan Times
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Don't scrap Bachelor of Elementary Education course, 15 eminent professors write to minister
NEW DELHI: Fifteen eminent professors of education from across the world have urged union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan to scrap plans to discontinue the (Bachelor of Elementary Education) programme, a four-year degree programme in elementary teacher education. The letter, sent on Monday, has come a month after the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) released draft regulations in February 2025 which outline new norms and standards for teacher education programmes. The draft rules propose discontinuing the course from the 2026–27 academic session and requiring institutions currently offering the course to transition to the new Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) before the start of the session. Also Read: What the death of a degree says about education innovation Among the signatories to the letter are Prof Edward Vickers, UNESCO chair on education for peace, social justice and global citizenship, Kyushu University, Japan, Prof Robin Alexander of University of Cambridge and Prof Michael W Apple of University of Wisconsin who have previously served on the editorial advisory board of the Indian Journal of Teacher Education, a NCTE publication. Introduced first by Delhi University (DU) in 1994, the programme has been adopted by approximately 30 colleges and universities across India. The new programme, ITEP is a four-year course introduced for students after Class 12. It was launched in pilot mode at 57 institutions in 2023–24 and is currently offered at 19 central universities, 21 state universities, seven National Institute of Technology (NITs), three Indian Institute of Technology (IITs), and 14 colleges. ITEP is in line with the National Education Policy 2020, which proposes that the minimum degree qualification for teaching by 2030 would be a four-year integrated degree that teaches a range of knowledge content, pedagogy and includes strong practicum training in the form of student-teaching at local schools. The letter referred to the plan to replace Delhi University's with ITEP as 'counter-productive'. ' is a flagship teacher education programme that has endured for three decades and proved its worth. It has contributed to enhancing the status of elementary-level teachers in India and to significant advances in the quality and outcomes of their teaching. We therefore appeal to you to cancel plans to discontinue the Where innovation promises an advance on existing arrangements, it is surely to be welcomed. To discontinue a programme renowned for its excellence is therefore counter-productive,' the letter said. Calling programme at Delhi University as a 'shining exception,' the letter said, 'As India's first comprehensive, university-level pre-service programme for elementary-level instructors, the integrates teacher education with undergraduate studies in various disciplines - thereby implementing the recommendations of major commissions tasked by Indian governments with reviewing teacher education provision.' DU on March 5 issued an information bulletin for admission to ITEP programmes in the academic session 2025-26. The National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct entrance exams for admission to ITEP programmes on April 29. 'Delhi University started in 1994 at a time when there was no comprehensive graduate programme focusing on elementary education (Classes 1 to 8) for children in the age group 6 to 14, which now comes under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. We put in our best efforts into this course, and we kept improving this course and supported other colleges and universities that introduced this course. Before this programme, all BEd programmes in other universities focused on secondary teacher education (Classes 9 to 12),' said Prof Anita Rampal, former dean, faculty of education, University of Delhi. Prof Rampal said NCTE's plans to discontinue the course was 'shocking'. 'The academically robust and grounded programme of cannot even be compared with the new ITEP,' the professor said. The letter written by international experts said was 'renowned in India and abroad as an exemplary, world class teacher education programme' since it endowed teachers with the independence and confidence that thorough academic and professional training can provide. The others who have signed the representation are Prof Paul Morris, Professor of Comparative Education, UCL Institute of Education; Prof Yusuf Sayeed, Professorial Chair in Global Education Policy and Equity, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, UK; Prof William Pinar, Tetsuo Aoki Professor in Curriculum Studies, Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia, Canada; Prof Martin Carnoy, American labour economist & Vida Jacks Professor of Education at the Stanford Graduate School of Education; Prof Ken Zeichner, Boeing Professor of Teacher Education Emeritus, University of Washington, USA; Prof Chaise LaDousa, Professor of Anthropology of Education, Hamilton College, New York; Prof Angela Little, Professor Emeritus, University College London, Institute of Education, UK; Prof Crain Arther Soudien, School of Education, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Indian Express
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Don't scrap B.El.Ed Programme': International academics from Cambridge, Wisconsin appeal to Edu Minister Dharmendra Pradhan
Eminent professors of education from across the world, including Prof Michael Apple at University of Wisconsin, Prof William Pinar at the University of British Columbia, and Prof Robin Alexander, Fellow of Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, have appealed to Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to cancel plans to discontinue the (Bachelor of Elementary Education) programme, a four-year degree programme in elementary teacher education. In a letter to Pradhan, they referred to the move as counter-productive. ' is a flagship teacher education programme that has endured for three decades and proved its worth. It has contributed to enhancing the status of elementary level teachers in India and to significant advances in the quality and outcomes of their teaching. We therefore appeal to you to cancel plans to discontinue the . Where innovation promises an advance on existing arrangements, it is surely to be welcomed. To discontinue a programme renowned for its excellence is therefore counter-productive,' the letter read. In February this year, the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) issued draft regulations that specify norms and standards for teacher education programmes. The draft regulations said that the programme will be discontinued from 2026-27 onwards, and institutions that were granted recognition for the programme will have to move to the new Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) before the start of the 2026-27 academic session. The programme was first launched by Delhi University three decades ago. The letter to the Education Minister signed by 15 scholars of education from across the world, stated: 'We are alarmed to learn of renewed plans to abolish Delhi University's impressive Bachelor's Programme in Elementary Education ( and replace it with a uniform Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP). We urgently ask that these plans be reconsidered.' ITEP is a four-year programme (BA after class 12, which was launched in pilot mode in a few institutions from the 2023-24 academic session onwards. It will be offered as a regular programme for teacher education from the 2025-26 session onwards. It has been introduced in line with the National Education Policy 2020, which states that by 2030, 'the minimum degree qualification for teaching will be a 4-year integrated degree that teaches a range of knowledge content and pedagogy and includes strong practicum training in the form of student-teaching at local schools.' Stating that is renowned in India and abroad as an exemplary, world class teacher education programme, the scholars wrote in their letter: 'With its integration of broad-based academic instruction and pedagogical training, it offers a more advanced form of preparation for elementary school teachers than is typically available in many western countries.' Referring to the strengths of the programme, the letter added: 'Recognising schooling's vital role in preparing young people both for employment and for democratic citizenship, it endows teachers with the independence and confidence that thorough academic and professional training can provide. This distinguishes it from colonial-era programmes that deliberately sought to de-professionalise teachers and restrict their autonomy.' As India's first comprehensive university level programme for elementary school teachers, 'has also been a model for other programmes offered by prestigious private colleges of liberal arts and sciences nationwide,' the letter read. It added that the programme offers a dynamic combination of instruction in subject knowledge, educational theory, child development, psychology, sociology, philosophy, and linguistics, along with compulsory courses on story-telling, drama, gender, and inclusion. The 15 signatories of the letter including Prof Edward Vickers, UNESCO Chair on Education for Peace, Social Justice and Global Citizenship, Kyushu University, Japan; Prof Michael W. Apple, John Bascom Professor Emeritus of Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Policy Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA; Prof Paul Morris, Professor of Comparative Education, UCL Institute of Education; Prof William Pinar, Tetsuo Aoki Professor in Curriculum Studies, Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia, Canada; Prof Yusuf Sayeed, Professorial Chair in Global Education Policy and Equity, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, UK; Prof Martin Carnoy, American labour economist & Vida Jacks Professor of Education at the Stanford Graduate School of Education; Prof Robin Alexander, Fellow of Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, and Professor of Education Emeritus, University of Warwick. Prof Michael Apple and Prof Robin Alexander have previously been members of the editorial advisory board of the NCTE's publication – Indian Journal of Teacher Education. Signatories also include Prof Ken Zeichner, Boeing Professor of Teacher Education Emeritus, University of Washington, USA; Prof Chaise LaDousa, Professor of Anthropology of Education, Hamilton College, New York; Prof Angela Little, Professor Emeritus, University College London, Institute of Education, UK; Prof Crain Arther Soudien, School of Education, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
