4 year integrated BEd courses from 2019, says HRD minister Prakash Javadekar
New Delhi : An amendment bill passed in Lok Sabha on July 24 states that students interested on perusing teachers’ education will have to take integrated courses from next year onwards. The Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar announced that four-year integrated B.Ed courses will be started from the next academic year.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development said that the government is on the edge of constructing the National Education Policy, “which is almost ready and is giving a final shape to it”.
The National Council for Teacher Education (Amendment) Bill, 2017, amends the National Council for Teacher Education Act, 1993. It asks for to grant retrospective recognition to certain teacher education institutions and grant retrospective permission to start new courses/training in teacher education.
During the debate session on the bill, Javadekar said: “The institutes conducting these courses… I found there were communication gaps, misunderstanding and laxity. So, we are going to fix their responsibility. We must ensure quality education and teachers.”
“The four-year composite courses are B.A (B.Ed), B.Sc (B.Ed) and B.Com (B.Ed). Those who want to become teachers can apply for these courses after Class 12. We are preparing ourselves for it,” said the Minister.
Replying to a question by NCP MP Supriya Sule on conducting a study on the standards of teachers training, Javadekar said: “There are 18,600 institutes that offer B.Ed courses. There are about 1,000 private ones. No study has been conducted so far as Supriya Sule ji pointed out.
“We are going to prepare a report. We have asked these institutes to submit affidavits as to what all facilities they have and about their achievements. We have already received 8,700 affidavits whereas show-cause notices have been issued to the remaining.”
Javadekar highlighted the need of making the educational institutes accountable and transparent and said that there will be pressure on quality learning.
TMC MP Saugata Roy stressed on the improvement in standards of teachers education and suggested that more English-medium government schools should be established in every nook and corner of the country.
