Challenges of Teacher Education in India: A Study

Abstract

With the launch of Educational Development Programs like, Operation Black Board, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Universalization of Elementary Education, there is an increase in the demand for teachers in India. The goals of these programs cannot be achieved by born teachers and so the increased demand has led to unprecedented expansion of Teacher Education Institutes during the last few years. However, this expansion has taken a heavy toll on many quality parameters. The major challenges can be broadly understood by looking at its various components like effectiveness of teacher training programs, physical conditions of teacher training institutes, quality of teacher educators and potential of teacher students. The major concerns of Teacher Training Programs are: Lack of uniform curriculum, inflexible and traditional curriculum, isolation of Education Colleges, regional imbalances in terms of number of colleges, improper selection criteria of student teachers, imbalances in number of humanities and science students teachers, less number of teaching days, unplanned and insufficient co-curricular activities, faulty mode of evaluation, lack of orientation for research work, lack of stage specific training and lack of in-service training and refresher courses. The major concerns of Teacher Training Institutes are: Lack of infrastructure, lack of staff, unhealthy financial conditions, improper teacher-student ratio and lack of support from the management. The major concerns relating to Teacher Educators are: lack of competencies, insufficient subject matter knowledge, lack of life and professional skills, lack of interest, motivation, commitment, proper attitude, ICT skills and sensitivity to contemporary issues and inadequate knowledge of new trends in education and technology. The major concerns relating to Student Teachers are: lack of aptitude, interest, motivation, dedication, sensitivity, towards the profession. Inadequate subject matter knowledge and casual attitude towards training program. Focus on degree than knowledge. To achieve the educational goals of society, teacher constitutes the most crucial component. Teachers are made in teacher training institutes so the teacher education as a whole needs an immediate and comprehensive reform