TIRUCHI: Bharathidasan University's introduction of two-year English-medium B.Ed. programme through distance education for schoolteachers earlier this academic year could not have come at a better time.

It came at a juncture when several hundreds of unqualified teachers working in private schools had their fingers crossed over their future in the job what with the Education department insisting on a professional qualification for school teachers.

Having qualified teachers on rolls is essential for private schools and institutions are required to fulfil the norm within a timeframe, said the Chief Educational Officer, R. Muthukrishnan.

With an intake of 500 candidates as per the recommendation of the National Council for Teacher Education, the University, the first territorial varsity in the State to offer the programme, is poised to enrich the school education system.

So far, unqualified teachers seeking to complete their B.Ed. had to enrol themselves with either the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) or the Tamil Nadu Open University (TNOU) to complete their B.Ed., surmounting tough competition.

The university currently utilises the B.Ed. study materials of the IGNOU. The Centre for Distance Education is in the process of readying the study materials for use from the next year onwards, said its Director N. Baskaran.

Tamil medium

The university expects a much higher patronage for the Tamil medium B.Ed. programme it intends to offer through correspondence from the next academic year.

With a similar intake, it will suit the career progression of elementary school teachers who aspire to move on to high and higher-secondary schools.

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