Wednesday 18 March 2015

B.ED. TO BECOME TWO YEAR COURSE FROM 2015-16 SESSION

   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. It is increasing the duration of the Bachelor of Education (BEd) programme from one year to two years, besides modifying the curriculum.  From now on, and M.Ed programmes would be of two years duration. 
    An integrated four-year course leading to B.A and B.Ed degree will be started immediately after class XII to attract bright minds from an early age into the profession. Those who want to be primary school teachers can get into two-year diploma in education course after class XII.
    Pursuing the M.Ed programme under the open and distance learning mode has been dropped.

Subjects such as yoga, information and communication technology, gender and children with special needs will be included in all the teacher education programmes, B.Ed programme will also have at least 20 weeks of class room teaching experience, in order to produce better qualified teachers.

There would be a three-year integrated B.Ed and M.Ed programme as well.

The reforms were recently approved by the National Council of Teachers Education to improve the quality of the teacher education programme. 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.