Peeved at the degradation of the teachers’ quality and the training centres and institutions imparting teacher education, the Centre has decided to put a restriction on new BEd colleges or institutions across the country. HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar observed that BEd colleges were opening like “fly by night operators” until now and there has to be a curb if quality of educators has to be maintained.
“You pay today and get the degree tomorrow,” Javadekar summed up about the satte of affairs of BEd studies in India today. “With the enhanced focus on the teacher training, all this need to be stopped. So it was decided no new BEd colleges will open in the country,” the HRD Minister said during the presentation of three years achievement of education under Modi regime.
He said as far as opening of new colleges is concerned it will be a ‘zero-year’ and also existing colleges will have to undergo a quality audit. “We have asked for quality affidavits and so far only 7,000 of them have submitted. We have also issued showcause notices to nearly 4,000 BEd colleges,” he added.
The Government has also decided to increase the practical component in the Bachelor of Education (BEd) and Diploma in Education (DEd) courses. “The practical component will be increased in the teacher training modules and practical sessions will be conducted in government schools which will be under observation of the teachers there and student feedback will also be given importance,” Javadekar said.
Giving a list of his ministry’s achievements, the Javadekar said the thrust of the Modi Government was on giving due importance to quality education, which he had taken up as a challenge. “In schools we are notifying learning outcomes from Classes I to VIII, which have been put up in schools and given to parents and schools,” he pointed out.
To create accountability, the Government was hoping that learning Outcomes notified would be the benchmark competency to be achieved by students in each standard, he added.
While as many as 21 lakh schools were giving free education where crores of students were getting free education, the Minister emphatically asserted that the Government was against commericalisation and private schools should have “reasonable fees”.
About the proposed change in no detention policy, Javadekar said Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) had unanimously decided to give the right to states to detain or not to detain students. States had been authorised to detain students in Class V and or VIII standard after giving the student two chances.
In the field of higher education, the Minister said 20 world-class universities were to be created in India - 10 in the private sector. His Government had announced 7 new IIMs, six new IITs, one new Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), two new Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) and one National Institute of Technolgoy and a Central University at Motihari.