NCTE Rejected Appeal for Teacher-Educator Pool’s Skill Expansion

For two long years the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) that functions under the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) is trying to convince National Council for Teacher Training and HRD Ministry to include science education as part of the qualification for teacher education. But the pleas of this premiere education institute in India has left unheard off for long.

To look into the matters of education more seriously regarding school education in India, HBCSE has always backed the consideration of Science as part of the qualification for teacher education. According to TIFR director Barma, “It brings a high level of competence in science together with commitment towards and insight into school education, and thus is very important”.

Barma has maintained his plea in from of NCTE and HRD Ministry for the inclusion of Ph.D in science education as a qualification for teacher educator. There are many students who enter the Ph. D programme with Master’s Degree in Science or Mathematics and not with M.Ed. Barma claimed that the keeping the high standards of education is important . So that, Ph Ds in science education should be allowed to  enter into the teacher educator pool.

Earlier Justice Verma Commission has made some useful recommendations in its report regarding the teacher education and teacher educators. According to the recommendations, post graduate degree in social sciences, sciences, language, mathematics along with a professional first class degree in education or a doctorate degree in mathematics or science education alone would be enough as far as the qualification for the teacher educators is concerned.