NEW DELHI: The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) has drawn up a draft curriculum framework for `Quality Teacher Education' to plug loopholes in the existing system, make teaching responsive to the needs of contemporary Indian schools and society — including growing intolerance — and improving the status of teachers in society.

Working on the premise that "the status of teachers reflects the socio-cultural ethos of a society," the NCTE is of the view that entry qualifications and duration of teacher education programmes need reconsideration. Besides giving a detailed curriculum framework — complete with subjects to be taught at all levels — the draft advocates semester type of teacher education for "effective and meaningful integration between foundational and specialised studies."

Instead of following a single model approach, the NCTE has proposed a multi-model one.

Some of the models proposed include a two-to-three-year-long elementary teacher education programme after graduation or class XII; and integrated B.Sc.-B. Ed. or B.A.-B.Ed programmes after class XII for five years.

Further, the draft framework makes out a case for in-service teacher education — recognised the world over as crucial for professional development of teachers.

Citing the National Policy on Education (NPE) which sees pre-service and in-service teacher education as inseparable like the two sides of a coin, the NCTE draft asserts that "re-education, re-learning and de-learning are essential" even for those who have acquired the most sophisticated education to remain relevant.

With information and communication technology (ICT), open learning systems, value education, development of life skills, integration of subjects and the three-language formula being some of the key concerns of the curriculum framework for school education, these components have been factored into NCTE's new mantra for teacher education.

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