Govt plans steps to raise bar for teacher training institutes

Concerned over the quality of teacher training institutes mushrooming across the country, government proposes to withdraw their recognition if they fail to adhere to standards and conduct on-the-spot inspection.
Under the existing law, recognition cannot be withdrawn from an institute once granted the status.
Critics have argued that the institutes are taking advantage of such loopholes and playing with the future of the students enrolled. The regulating body is also helpless in such cases and can only showcause an institute on receipt of complaints.
To correct the anomaly, government proposes to amend the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) Act, 1993 to empower NCTE to de-recognise the institutes.

It also empowers the regional committees of NCTE to carry out on-the-spot inspections based on complaints.
The development comes against the backdrop of a series of reforms being initiated in the teacher training courses offered including making B.Ed and M.Ed two-year programme to improve quality of teacher education programme.

The regional committee would also be empowered to review its order to rectify a mistakes in records prepared during the course of recognising an institute.
According to the existing law, the aggrieved institute can approach the NCTE headquarters to rectify the mistakes and the appeal in the court, a time consuming process.

The proposed amendment would also empower the NCTE Council to issue directions to the regional committees on matters of policy and for effective implementation of the Act.
The proposed amendment also includes increasing the tenure of the chairperson and vice chairperson of from four years to five years and to increase the upper age limit for their appointment from 60 years to 65 years.