less effort
Pankaj Arora, Dean (Students Welfare), University of Delhi (DU) says, “CTET was introduced as a measure to deal with colleges offering B.Ed degrees with minimum efforts from the end of the candidates. Thus, students who wanted to become school teachers were required to appear for CTET every seven years. This was done to ensure that the teachers stay updated with the required skill sets. ,
However, with the introduction of NPST in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, some changes have been implemented, says the education professor.
road ahead
Professor Seema Dhawan, HNB Garhwal Central University, Srinagar, Uttarakhand states that going forward, CTET will be considered as an entrance test for candidates who want to become teachers. “Once the skill set of the candidates has been judged through CTET, there is no need to conduct it again,” she says.
JN Ballia, Head of Department of Education Studies and Mass Communication and New Media, Central University of Jammu (CUJ), says that in place of CTET, now NPST will help in ensuring that school teachers stay updated with the latest teaching practices. “In the last few months, there have been about nine open discussions regarding the exact framework of the NPST,” he explains.
The NEP divides school education into four categories, which include basic, elementary, middle and secondary schools. According to the NPST, teachers at each school level will also be divided into four categories including beginner, skilled, expert and leadership. “To move from one level to another, teachers will be judged on various parameters,” explains Ballia.
still a concern
Dhawan says the NPST is a roadmap for school teachers to specialize in their chosen level of teaching, but it has gone unheeded as a matter of concern.
“After CTET, candidates can be appointed as school teachers at any of the four levels of school education based on their skill set,” she explains. However, there is no roadmap for teachers to get promoted from one level of schooling to another, she adds. Dhawan says, “This needs to be addressed at the earliest.
hints at the future
Arora says that with a centralized entrance exam for the schooling profession, the stigma attached to the sector has to be removed. “Now, candidates need not worry that despite their efforts and up-gradation of skills, they may be left unemployed or not get promotion due to a flawed system. CTET is a common entrance test in this field. As understood, everyone is on the same platform where only skill and expertise will help them move forward.”
Ballia says that promotion is no longer a time bound activity, there has been an increase in the popularity and preference of deserving candidates in the field of school teaching. “The move will benefit the overall education system,” he says.
The suggestions given in every open house are being collated and sent to the ministry. “Final decision should be taken and implemented from the next academic session,” explains Ballia.
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