Few takers for Integrated Teacher Education Programme, but regular BEd courses still popular

The Centre has over the past decade introduced two four-year integrated courses that combine undergraduate and BEd programmes, but neither appears to have many takers.

The regular, two-year BEd programmes — taken after a student has completed graduation, and therefore entailing a longer duration overall — retain their popularity, though.

A veteran academic suggested that Class XII students, who are meant to take up the integrated BEd courses after their boards, are less likely to enrol because people so early in their lives tend not to want to become teachers.

The government rolled out the Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) in 2022-23. Several central educational institutions, including some of the IITs
and NITs, started teaching the programme from last year under pressure from the Union government.

Data accessed by The Telegraph show that half the 50 seats are vacant at NIT Warangal while 19 of the 50 are unoccupied at NIT Puducherry.

The Indira Gandhi National Open University was allowed to admit 300 students to the course — 100 each in BSc-BEd, BCom-BEd and BA-BEd courses. It has been able to enrol less than 100 in all these courses together.

The Maulana Azad National Urdu University, another central university, also introduced ITEP courses for BSc-BEd, BCom-BEd and BA-BEd with 50 seats each. About half the seats are vacant here too.

Earlier, in 2015, the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) had rolled out the first four-year integrated programme that allowed students to pursue their undergraduate degrees along with a BEd.

Many institutions offer this course which, unlike
the ITEP, allows only BSc-BEd and not the arts and commerce counterparts.

Ramesh Ghanta, a retired professor of teacher education who taught at Maulana Azad, said the 2015 programme too has poor enrolment levels.

The government introduced the ITEP to bring in more flexibility in keeping with the National Education Policy. Not only does it allow BEd to be studied with either BA, BSc or BCom, it allows students to drop out at the end of the second or third year.

Those dropping out after the third year can get their bachelor’s degree and pursue a master’s. Those leaving after two years get a diploma.

The ITEP’s course design is therefore more focused on undergraduate education in the first three years while the integrated BEd of 2015 combines teacher education components from the first year.

Last year, the education ministry asked the IITs, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the NITs to start the ITEP.

The NCTE recently allowed state government-run universities to start the ITEP from the 2024-25 academic session. It has decided to allow private and deemed universities to offer the course from 2025-26.

“Class XII students are more oriented towards engineering, medicine and similar streams. They need to be encouraged to take up teaching as a profession,” Ghanta said.

“It’s because of the lack of such guidance and counselling that Class XII students don’t develop an appetite for the integrated BEd.”

Ghanta complained that the NCTE was in a hurry to have the ITEP taught at
all institutions before assessing the outcome of its pilot-mode introduction.

“The NCTE last year introduced the ITEP in pilot mode in selected institutions. When a programme is introduced in the pilot mode, a proper assessment is needed to see if it has delivered the desired objectives. Accordingly, necessary modifications may be carried out,” he said.

“The ITEP was started a year ago. There is doubt whether all the students will continue to pursue the teacher-education component in the fourth year or exit at the end of the third year. The NCTE should have evaluated the outcome of the programme before opening it to more institutions.”

He added: “If a student of BEd drops out, it’s a colossal loss to teacher education. The very purpose of the ITEP to prepare quality teachers will be defeated.’