Talk About Some Education

Context: India 2020 demands better NEP for sustainable and multidimensional growth and development.

NEP 2020: Implications for Teachers

• Minimum degree required for teaching : is now a B.Ed degree with a dual B.Ed degree also on offer. 
• Teacher Eligibility Test (TET): now focuses on foundational, preparatory, middle and secondary school content.
• Teachers hiring (for subject specialisation) based on TET or National Testing Agency scores in those specific subjects.

• • • Even those qualifying for TET will be required to appear in an interview.
• Range of merit-based scholarships : will be launched to motivate local talent to enter the teaching profession.

• • • Focus on preferential employment in their local areas.
• Professional development courses : for teachers on an annual basis 
• National professional standards for teachers: will be developed as a guideline by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). 
• Merit-based structure for tenure, promotions, and salary structure: of teachers will be developed.

Issues in Indian Education System

• Premier universities are lagging: and rank beyond 400 in world rankings (QS). 
• UGC oversees a few hundred universities and thousands of colleges: stifling their openness and creativity. 
• Obsolete teaching infrastructure and resources of local public school: i.e a set of rectangular rooms, filled with aging chairs, benches, and blackboards.
• Teachers themselves are not subject matter experts: and lack training experience.

• Overcrowded classes: especially at the primary stage prevent teachers from offering any individual attention.

Way Forward

• Accountability to the student-teacher relationship.
• Teachers training in modern pedagogy: for delivering quality education outcomes
• Promote upskilling/skill up-gradation: by developing a performance-based appraisal system.
• Need for a radical and fundamental reorganization: of the entire university structure, with UGC in particular.
• Universities must disassociate themselves from academic governance, focusing instead on policy design.
• Replacement of UGC with National Higher Education Regulatory Council: will open up free-thinking in universities while reducing micromanagement. 
• All HEIs are now required to become multidisciplinary institutions: with a push to have such institutions in every district.

Conclusion: India needs progressive NEP for reaping its demographic dividend advantage.