Technical education regulator AICTE has prodded leading engineering and management colleges to offer BA, BSc or BCom courses along with BEd.
Known as the Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) and implemented so far in certain categories of institutions since 2021, it has reduced the number of years required to secure a BEd degree from five years to four years.
The proposal has triggered concern among sections of the academia who believe these institutions do not have the wherewithal or infrastructure to conduct such a programme.
The academics pointed out that the AICTE’s suggestion ran counter to the policy of the regulatory National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) that has so far allowed only state universities, central universities, institutions of national importance and institutions of eminence to offer the integrated programme.
The NCTE had in October 2021 notified the ITEP for ClassXII passouts who would pursue BA, BSc or BCom along with BEd in an integrated manner. The ITEP is a four-year course, unlike the five years taken for undergraduate and BEd courses being pursued separately now.
In a circular sent to all the approved professional colleges of the AICTE, Mamta Rani Agarwal, AICTE adviser, wrote that the ITEP would be beneficial for the students as it would save a year and also help meritorious students to enter the teaching profession.
“It is, therefore, suggested that all multidisciplinary higher education institutions, particularly those rated A and above by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council, may be encouraged to initiate the ITEP... in their institutions,” the circular said.
Jitendra Sharma, a former faculty member at a teacher-training college in Jodhpur, said the AICTE-approved colleges were failing to attract students and about 50 per cent of their seats were vacant.
He said this was a pointer to their failure to maintain standards.
“If the engineering institutions are allowed to run teacher-training courses, which are not their domain, the quality of the programme will be a big concern,” he said.
He said some state government universities, too, were being unmindful of quality, but the NCTE was not taking any steps against them. He cited the example of a university in Udaipur that, he said, offers BEd and MEd programmes without having any regular faculty member.
Similarly, a university in Jodhpur offers BEd courses by hiring guest faculty. According to NCTE norms, an institution has to have at least 10 regular faculty members to start a teacher-training course.
“Going by the trend, the engineering institutions, which are mostly in the private sector, will run the ITEP through guest faculty members,” Sharma said.
A former NCTE member said it had so far allowed only university-level institutions to offer ITEP courses.
The AICTE’s circular to engineering and management colleges is in conflict with this policy.
The IITs, prodded by the government, have decided to consider launching the ITEP after discussing the proposals with their academic bodies.
This newspaper sent an email to AICTE chairman T.G. Sitharam asking why engineering and management institutions were being encouraged to start the ITEP. His response is awaited.
Last updated on 06 May 2023
