Reforms for Teachers & Teacher Training in NEP 2020
The National Education Policy (NEP) system established in 2020 is a landmark milestone in the policy-making and deciding changes in the academic and education system. This article explores the scope and potential of the National Education Policy system with a focus on teachers and teacher education programs.
Introduction to the NEP System
The NEP system aims to offer essential value to all levels of education, from school to higher education levels. It follows an academic reformation model that will take hold of the existing education system and raise it to higher levels.
The system is developed and published with the view that all elements of education and academic branches should receive value and the brightest prospects when it comes to dealing with core features. These include quality, affordability, equity, access and accountability.
Aim of NEP System
The primary aim of the NEP system is to raise the standards of efficient teacher training, reforms in the existing examination process, childhood care at an early stage and remodeling of the regulatory framework policies in the education system.
NEP also intends to create value for factors like public investment in education, setting up of National Education Commission (NEC), strengthened use of technology and vocational/adult education provision schemes.
Salient Features of the NEP System
The value addition of the NEP system can be detailed using some of its vital features that guide the overall policy. These include early childhood care, curriculum framework, the Right to Education Act provisions, various exams and tests and education governance.
Other features are the national research foundation, higher educational institutions, financing education, three language formula and vocational/adult courses.
Vision of NEP
The vision statement of NEP covers a mindful learning process for the learners in developing a spiritual, intellectual and actionable model of absorbing skills, knowledge, values and responsible commitments. It tests the student’s engaging role in delivering value to human rights, sustainable development and living and improved educational standards.
NEP 2020 also covers the figurative vision of improving GER levels to 100% and 50% in primary schooling and higher education levels, respectively by 2030.
Encouraging 21st-Century Skills in the Classroom
One of the attractive aspects of NEP 2020 is the empowerment of students using new classroom skills that matches 21st-century lives and careers. Listed below are the main skills you should learn for effective personal and career development as per the NEP system guidelines.
Digital Literacy
Digital literacy is a top-priority skill for the modern age, where you must learn and know how to seek, communicate and grasp data and information on everything through active digital platforms and portals. A comprehensive knowledge of digital skills is important for personnel to survive in the modern world.
Problem-Solving
Problem-solving skills have always been part of the top talents that an individual must possess to advance in their respective fields. Nothing has changed yet, as solving different types of problems along with critical thinking is an essential part of analytical reasoning and observations.
Communication
Another skill that NEP actively promotes is communication skill. It works like a charm if you are fluent in sharing ideas and concepts with man and the environment without any barriers. Add communication skills to your interpersonal skills, and you will become unstoppable in your activities.
Critical Thinking
As we mentioned earlier, critical thinking is a crucial aspect of analytical reasoning skills. If you are a critical thinker, you will learn stuff related to gathering information, asking questions, thinking through solutions and conclusions, alternative thought processes and effective communication.
Creativity
Perhaps the most beautiful of skills or talents to possess, creativity is an absolute treasure that helps you imagine, build and accomplish several components of life. The NEP system supports and promotes the growth of creativity in learners that matches their specific skills and talents.
Health & Fitness
Health, wellness and fitness segments don’t just cover physical aspects, but mental, emotional and spiritual categories too. You should balance your ecosystem and environment with your life and work by promoting an active channel for health and wellness practices.
Social Responsibility
Being responsible towards social causes is a key aspect of surviving in the modern world. Even businesses are vigorously promoting features like Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as part of their business models.
Ethics
Showing moral values in life is one thing, but learning ethics as a subject is a game-changer. It helps you interact better in social situations and offer dynamic and practical solutions to self and society in times of necessity.
Scientific Temper
Scientific temper is an underrated skill that takes care of essential aspects of logical, rational and scientific thinking. Possession of a scientific temper helps an individual in following factual data and information processing before reaching conclusions and arriving at inferences.
Collaboration
Collaboration skill of a person works well when combined with communication and interpersonal skills. It helps you actively coordinate as part of a team and ensures work and growth together.
Impact of NEP on Teachers
Now we come to the major talking point of this article – the impact of NEP on teachers. It is great pleasure to observe the impact that teachers have on the academic systems, curriculums and student lives/careers. National Educational Policy ensures the best of teachers and their contributions to the education system.
The impact point starts directly from the offering of training to teachers and is followed up with the provision of imparting said training through the education system.
Teachers and Teacher Education NEP
Teachers are one of the most significant parts of the NEP system devised in 2020. Background conditions that led to the inclusion of teacher education in NEP are dismal conditions arising and existing in areas of teacher segmentation.
The various problems include a lack of education, training, proper recruitment, teaching quality, motivation, active service conditions and inadequate systemic reforms.
What are National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST)?
NPST (National Professional Standards for Teachers is associated with teaching career and professionalism. It works in determining the features related to the teacher’s career management, professional development, salary hikes, professional appraisals, teaching audit reports, etc.
NCERT takes charge of the NEP teacher training program and works as a catalyst for continuous expansion in the teaching profession development. NEP 2020 includes specific sections of continuous professional development (CPD) yearly.
Quality 4-yr Integrated B.Ed. Programme
The Government directly takes active initiative in creating an integrated B.Ed. program that takes four academic years to complete. National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) supervises teacher training in this regard and promotes B.A. – B.Ed. scheme that helps future teachers achieve their maximum potential.
Teachers will get to cover two bachelor’s degrees in one go in an integrated model. This will help them receive more exposure and internship-level training experience before starting in the academic system.
Teacher Eligibility Tests (TETs)
TETs (Teacher Eligibility Tests) are the minimum qualification that a teacher in India should cover before being eligible for an appointment in the teaching profession. Government schools widely promote this test and work effectively in helping teachers to launch their optimum professions.
Among the eligibility tests, CTET is the most difficult to crack from an examination viewpoint. TETs will help you launch job roles in both Government and private institutions.
Sharing of Teachers Across Schools
NEP 2020 promotes the concept of sharing teachers among schools and academic institutions to help deal with issues like the shortage of teachers. It happens mostly for profiles like arts, crafts, music, dance, traditional courses, etc.
NEP 2020 policy allocates sufficient space for master instructors to join as part of the eminent personalities’ list who can take over a course.
Aim of NEP to Support and Nurture Teachers
NEP showcases incredible potential in supporting and nurturing teachers from the grassroots level. The major policy concerning teachers in this section includes teacher empowerment platforms and activities.
Continuous support and essential nurturing activities will help the implementation and impact of teacher training reach the roots level in most remote places. The training schedule includes preparation, recruitment, classroom activities and professional development programs.
Preparation
The planning, preparation and execution procedure for NEP 2020 starts from the grassroots levels and works effectively in providing empowerment to the professional staff in the division. They will have to learn a whole lot of concerns and challenges and come up with ideal solution proposals as part of the teacher training programs.
Recruitment
According to the NEP guidelines, teacher recruitment would require a minimum educational qualification of four years under the integrated B.Ed. scheme. Teaching Eligibility Tests’ will matter greatly for realising your maximum potential and increasing the hiring chances.
In The Classroom
During training and while teaching, teachers will play a significant role in the classroom segments. As per NEP guidelines, teachers will have to follow numerous factors and active elements to create space for becoming role model teachers and support persons.
Professional Development
The NEP system is responsible for improving the personal and professional quality of teachers with supporting development potential. Factors that create an effective value in empowering the teaching profession are quality control, accountability and the level of quality, respect, dignity and autonomy that a teacher could muster in their career span.
Continuous Professional Development & Improving Standards
CPD (Continous Professional Development) is an active part of the NEP system. It helps teachers train more professionally and play an engaging role in improving the speciality services associated with the overall development process.
Initiatives for Capacity Building of Teachers
Various initiatives are detailed in the NEP system to support the capacity building of teachers. The idea of capacity building is to develop a culture that is strictly rooted in the value of shared learning. Under the NEP system, capacity building methods are participatory.
It helps identify the potential skillset and possible building blocks that exist in an individual teaching professional and works analytically in completing those identified blocks. Initiatives include training sessions, assessment and observation, assessment to need and assets, capacity development response, evaluation and engagement and stakeholder development.
Ensure Capacity Building at All Levels
The peak ways of ensuring capacity building at all levels are the provision of a minimum of 50 hours of CPD for teachers annually, mentoring support and systemic collaboration, NISHTHA principles and customized training modules.
Minimum 50 Hours of CPD per Year for Heads and Teachers
As part of professional development techniques, a minimum of 50 hours of CPD for heads and teachers is needed yearly. This would continue as a life-long process during their teaching careers and applies to drive their self-interests too.
Mentoring of Teachers
Capable mentor support should be given to the teachers to help them develop their skills and hone them to match the academic environment in that they are supposed to play a thriving role. Experienced experts with a whole host of skills should join in creating value for the teacher training programs.
NISHTHA Needs to be Compulsorily Completed by All Teachers
National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement is an initiative by the NCERT entity to aid in capacity building for both teachers and principals/school heads. The program can be implemented from the elementary stage itself with full support given to improving the quality of school education and curriculum development.
NISHTHA training includes four program levels, including elementary and secondary levels. In elementary level, 18 online courses are available. For elementary level, twelve generic courses are available along with one pedagogy level course.
The NEP 2020 pedagogical structure for school education follows a 5+3+3+4 curricular format, replacing the earlier 10+2 curricula. There will be a foundational stage in the pre-schooling section (anganwadi). This is followed by preparatory stage, middle stage and secondary stage. The corresponding age groups in this pedagogical structure are 3-8, 8-11, 11-14 and 14-18.
Training for Teachers
Many tutorial training programs and research and report activities are available in the teacher training domain. These modules can be implemented wholly or according to the specific skill that the candidate is supposed to learn to aid in their personal and professional development.
Challenges Faced by Teachers in NEP System
The main challenges faced by teachers in the NEP system are as follows:
» Getting a grasp of the entire syllabus segments is a bit difficult, especially for beginner-level teachers.
» There will be the problem of teacher selection.
» A faulty curriculum is another issue that teachers could face.
» Teacher training programs could be more competent and less compatible.
» If science and technology are not properly used, it could cause harm to the training system.
» Teachers could face the problem of isolation or lack of control.
» You could miss out on co-curricular activities or life skills development.
» There is the challenge of missing out on social issues.
» Another trouble is regarding the lack of core values stemming from globalization issues.
» It could also be an issue if you stick to traditional teaching methods alone.
» Educational institutional reforms are an issue that you might face.
» A lack of creative potential might hurt active training programs.
» Sometimes, issues occur like lack of evaluation, supervision and adequate facilities.
» In some cases, lack of funding or legal troubles poses an issue.
» It could be hard to adapt to changing academic and educational trends.
» Textbook exposure might not be enough for modern education systems.
» A work-life balance could be a challenge for some teachers.
» Issues could arise related to the delegation of tasks, undertaking of responsibilities and lack of inspiration.
Benefits of Teachers in the NEP System
The top benefits of teachers in the NEP system are as follows:
» The holistic academic development in the NEP system will be beneficial for teachers as well.
» Though challenging, teachers will have an opportunity to teach in their mother tongues.
» Teachers can help address the digital divide in the modern era.
» The relationship of teachers with other sections of the education system, especially students, will improve.
» The NEP system is trustworthy as the Government holds accountability for the same.
» Teachers will get a chance to revive and contribute to the education system in the nation’s future.
» Together with institutions, teachers can offer a role in transforming the country’s learning progress.
Conclusion
NEP teacher training program will go a long way in balancing the scale between teaching quality provided and returning rewards to the candidates in the picture. Teaching professionals can take heart in the fact that the learning experience under the NEP 2020 is a continuous process and is here to stay.Stay tuned to this space for further updates in the NEP teacher training section.
