2-year B.Ed course might soon be dropped for 4-year teacher training programme
The government had changed the one-year Bed course for a 2-year alternative only three years ago.
The 2-year course for Bachelor of Education might soon be dropped in favour of a 4-year integrated teacher training programme. The government had changed the one-year Bed course for a 2-year alternative only three years ago.
The four-year integrated BA-BEd and BSc-BEd course will have a revamped syllabus and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) has been asked to start work on the same by the Human Resources and Development Ministry, as per a report by The Telegraph.
NCTE sources told The Telegraph that that school education secretary Anil Swarup had written to the NCTE on the matter.
Arun Jaitley had already made announcements to this effect for an integrated BEd programme in his Budget 2018 speech on February 1.
Why is the government making this change?
As per the report, NCTE sources said that this move was being carried out to ensure that only serious students opt for the teacher's training programme by making it similar to BTech and MBBS programmes.
Who will be eligible for the four-year integrated teacher training programme?
Students will be able to take admission to the four-year training programme right after finishing class 12.
From one-year B.Ed to two-year B.Ed to four-year B.Ed
In 2014, to ensure quality teacher training, the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) made some sweeping changes by increasing the duration of the Bachelor of Education programme from one year to two years with major change in the curriculum.
With this, aspirants had to study for five years to become a teacher (3 years of graduation+2 years for BEd).
The new models introduced at the time included the 4-year integrated course after class 12. However, the number of takers for the 2-year course after graduation were always much higher than the number opting for the integrated course
According to experts, this change from one-year duration to a two-year model was done to give a professional edge to the aspirants like any other professional courses like BE (four years), MBBS (five-and-a-half years), CA (five- years) etc.
The same reason is being cited now for scrapping the option for the 2-year BEd course.
Is the change coming too soon?
Popular opinion on this probable change as seen on public platforms and social media says that such a major overhaul in the BEd programme might be coming too soon since the last time in 2014, especially since no proper study has been done to check whether the last change made any difference in teacher training and in the quality of teachers produced.
Proper feedback needs to be taken from trainee teachers to understand the effects each change in the BEd pattern produces on the quality of teachers.
"The BEd programme was only 10-month long when I cleared it in 1999. Howsoever the teachers are trained in the course, it is the implementation of that training which is the real issue in a country where teacher-student ratios are as high as 60:1 in some states," says Shampa Chakaborty, a senior teacher of Hariyana Vidya Mandi, Kolkata, with 20 years of experience.
Maharashtra Govt conducting first ever CET for integrated B.Ed programme
The Maharashtra Government will be holding the first ever CET for the integrated BEd programme on June 21, 2018, and has finalised the curriculum for the same.
They will likely start the course and make it compulsory from academic session 2019-2020. The test will be held for 4-year BA BEd/BSc BEd, and 3-year BEd/MEd.
As per a TOI report, a feasibility study has already been conducted by the Maharashtra state department of higher and technical education and the courses will be rolled out the course in government colleges this year, according to BEd teachers. The department will officially make the announcement after the study.
About the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed)
- The Bachelor of Education is an undergraduate programme of 2-year duration catering to students who are interested in pursuing a career in teaching and related fields
- Check B.Ed Syllabus
- The 2-year programme is generally divided into four semesters by the institutes and structured in a way that not only involves classroom based teaching, but also practical training and internships
- The course can be pursued through full time, correspondence or distance learning by various universities throughout the country
- Average course fee charged by institutes ranges from INR 30,000 to 60,000
- The duration through distance learning is minimum two years and maximum five years
- Career options for B.Ed. degree holders can opt for careers such as teaching, and working as educational writers for various newspapers, magazines, journals and websites.
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