HRD ministry may review plan to dissolve NCTE
Nine months after the ministry of human resource development moved a Cabinet note to dissolve the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), there seems to be a rethink on the proposal.
By Urmi A Goswami, TNN |
NEW DELHI: Nine months after the ministry of human resource development moved a Cabinet note to dissolve the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), there seems to be a rethink on the proposal. Despite support from ministries and government departments like finance, the department of personnel and the Planning Commission, there has been no progress, indicating a ���loss of interest��� by the ministry.
Though the HRD ministry has yet to withdraw the Cabinet note, which is still with the legislative department of the ministry of law, sources indicated there a reconsideration. That a review of its earlier decision to do away with NCTE seems evident from the fact that the advertisements for the post of chairman and vice-chairman have been issued.
The posts fell vacant in January and had the ministry wanted to pursue with its earlier line of thinking, this would have been a good opportunity. Additionally, a decision to hold off on dissolving NCTE seems logical, in view of the government���s commitment to see through the enabling right to education legislation and the effort to universalise secondary education.
Both efforts would require a massive inflow of trained teachers into the system. The right to education bill does not provide for para-teachers, who have often become the mainstay of elementary schooling, particularly primary schools. In such a situation, moving to a new system for teacher education may not be desirable.
In May last year, the HRD ministry had moved the Cabinet note to repeal the National Council for Teacher Education Act, 1993 under which NCTE was constituted. The move was on the basis of the recommendation of a committee headed by former education secretary Sudeep Banerjee. It found that NCTE had failed to ensure the ���planned and coordinated development of the teacher education system throughout the country.���
A rethink on this proposal would necessitate a wholescale review on the functioning and structuring of NCTE. It is likely that the ministry would undertake such a review once the bill becomes a reality. This would include an overhauling of the composition of the regional panels as well as their working, which have been found to be ad hoc and arbitrary.
The current situation allows for manipulation and misuse, making the regional committee extremely vulnerable to external influence, pressure and intimidation from certain quarters.
Though the HRD ministry has yet to withdraw the Cabinet note, which is still with the legislative department of the ministry of law, sources indicated there a reconsideration. That a review of its earlier decision to do away with NCTE seems evident from the fact that the advertisements for the post of chairman and vice-chairman have been issued.
The posts fell vacant in January and had the ministry wanted to pursue with its earlier line of thinking, this would have been a good opportunity. Additionally, a decision to hold off on dissolving NCTE seems logical, in view of the government���s commitment to see through the enabling right to education legislation and the effort to universalise secondary education.
Both efforts would require a massive inflow of trained teachers into the system. The right to education bill does not provide for para-teachers, who have often become the mainstay of elementary schooling, particularly primary schools. In such a situation, moving to a new system for teacher education may not be desirable.
In May last year, the HRD ministry had moved the Cabinet note to repeal the National Council for Teacher Education Act, 1993 under which NCTE was constituted. The move was on the basis of the recommendation of a committee headed by former education secretary Sudeep Banerjee. It found that NCTE had failed to ensure the ���planned and coordinated development of the teacher education system throughout the country.���
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The committee found that not only had NCTE been derelict of its duties, the apex teacher education body had promoted commercialisation and unplanned proliferation of teacher education institutes. A rethink on this proposal would necessitate a wholescale review on the functioning and structuring of NCTE. It is likely that the ministry would undertake such a review once the bill becomes a reality. This would include an overhauling of the composition of the regional panels as well as their working, which have been found to be ad hoc and arbitrary.
The current situation allows for manipulation and misuse, making the regional committee extremely vulnerable to external influence, pressure and intimidation from certain quarters.
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