BEd to become 2 years long; curriculum to be changed

BENGALURU: To ensure quality teachers are churned out of training colleges, the National Council

To ensure quality teachers are churned out of training colleges, the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) is making some sweeping changes from the next academic year.

for Teacher Education (NCTE) is making some sweeping changes from the next academic year. It is increasing the duration of the Bachelor of Education (BEd) programme from one year to two years, besides modifying the curriculum.

This means now one has to study for five years to become a teacher, as the minimum eligibility to pursue BEd is a three-year undergraduate programme. Experts feel the change will lend the programme the gravitas enjoyed by other professional courses like BE (four years) and MBBS (five-and-a-half years).

A string of other norms is also being stipulated. Students have been mandated to complete BEd within three years from the date of admission. They should have more than 80% attendance every year. Teacher training colleges must have one teacher for every 25 students.

P Revathi Reddy, regional director of NCTE, told TOI that syllabus for BEd will also be changed. A framework to formulate the syllabus will be sent to all universities. The aim is to produce quality teachers, she said, adding that all colleges and universities across the country offering BEd must follow the new norms.

Colleges that have the required infrastructure and facilities will get permission to increase intake of students.

For aspiring teachers from Karnataka, things couldn’t have got tougher. This year, the state government conducted its first Karnataka Teacher Eligibility Test in June. Of the 3.86 lakh candidates who appeared, only 22,899 cracked it, making them eligible to be recruited in government, aided and private schools.

There are about 400 institutions in the state offering BEd. Of these, 65 are in Bengaluru.

B Thimme Gowda, vice-chancellor of Bangalore University, said a meeting will be held with varsity authorities and college principals, and a workshop conducted to frame the syllabus, before the next academic year begins.

Books on Education

Leave a Reply Cancel reply