Bachelor of Education

If you like interacting with young children and fostering young minds, then teaching at primary school could give you the satisfaction and a good deal of money

Education is a potent tool for bringing about change and transforming lives. This has been acknowledged as never before both by the government and the society which is why we are witnessing unprecedented reforms in the education sector of our country. Now Primary and High School enrolment in India is at an all time high. Coupled with this, the mushrooming of primary and secondary schools all over the country has led to a soaring demand for teachers.

To teach at the higher primary school and high school level in India, a Bachelor of Education degree is mandatory. Those holding a Bachelor of Education degree are known as Trained Graduate Teachers. The course is offered by a number of universities and institutes in the country. The duration of this course may vary between one to three years depending on the university.

Bachelor of Education
The Bachelor of Education degree is the graduate programme you should enrol in if you are interested in teaching in schools. You can do this course through distance learning as well. There are contact programmes that are organised to orient the teachers and give them practical experience. There are several BEd colleges in India which offer an integrated arts and BEd course for 4 years.

Master of Education
The Master of Education (MEd) is a post graduate degree that is generally pursued after the successful completion of the Bachelor of Education. It is offered by the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) centres across India. The boom in the education domain in India has turned this into a coveted degree.

The degree is offered only by institutions which are recognised by the National Council of Teacher Education, New Delhi. The NCTE is a government body with the authority to improve and implement teacher education programmes in the country.

Significance of a degree in education
You have the qualification and the desire to teach schoolchildren. However, like everything else, teaching in school too requires a systematic approach. The Bachelor of Education degree course gives you the outline, structure and guidelines needed to be a successful education instructor. A degree in education helps

• structure the experiences and shape the professional abilities of teachers.
• gain an understanding of the methods and approaches of preparing learning strategies for secondary school students.
• develop expertise in choosing and systematising learning experiences.
• in getting an insight into the learning process.
• in learning how to solve academic and personal problems of students.
• in learning the techniques of evaluation and performance of students.
• in the various aspects of school administration and management.
• develop the competency for organising instructional and student support activities.
• enable future educational instructors to respect and appreciate the role of teachers in a society and under the prevailing socio-cultural and political milieu in general.

Eligibility
Different universities/institutes vary so far as eligibility and other requirements are concerned. As a rule, however, you must have a graduate degree in Bachelor of Arts (BA), or Bachelor of Science (BSc), or Bachelor of Commerce (BCom).
Once you have completed Bachelor of Education, you can pursue a Master’s degree.

Distance education
You can also pursue a distance learning programme with the Indira Gandhi National Open University.

Prospects
The pay packet of teachers in primary and secondary schools has been revised generating a greater interest in the profession. Teaching is no more an unattractive option. Even students with an MBA and other professional degrees have been seen competing for government teacher jobs in a bid to stay closer to home and at the same time have a job that ostensibly does not demand much physical or even mental stress.

A student may also pursue an M Phil which would give him an edge over other candidates. The University Grants Commission has put the salary scale at par with other government jobs. Therefore, opting for a BEd these days and availing the better teacher training facilities could give a new direction to life.