The human resource development (HRD) ministry has asked all states to upgrade their eligibility criteria for teachers training to meet National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE) norms. The certificates issued by states that fail to do so would be termed illegal.
The warning came after the ministry was forced to step in to bail out about 31,000 West Bengal primary teachers whose D.Eds (diplomas in education) were declared illegal by the Calcutta high court without NCTE recognition.
“In case of a dispute, the central legislation prevails. All such degrees that do not meet norms would be termed illegal,” HRD minister Kapil Sibal said.
As per NCTE norms, the duration of D.Ed courses should be two years and the eligibility for admission, 12th pass with at least 50% marks. However, in Bengal, primary teachers training institutions (PTTI) have been conducting a one-year D.Ed course with 10th pass the eligibility.
The high court held that the courses run by such institutions were illegal. The judgment affected 31,141 students who could neither be awarded diplomas, nor take exams. It became a serious issue in the state with finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and railway minister Mamata Banerjee seeking Sibal’s help.
The Centre has decided to offer a one-year bridge course to 16,759 students who have passed 12th class with 50% marks and who have a one-year diploma. To 7,080 students who scored less than 50% in class 12, the government will allow at least five attempts to improve scores through open schools. The remaining 7, 302 students who are only 10th pass will be asked to appear for the class 12 exam through open schools. Once they attain the minimum qualification, they would be eligibly for the bridge course.
NCTE has also granted certain concessions to PTTIs to enable them to earn recognition. Once recognised, these institutions will not only be able to offer the bridge course to affected students, but also provide regular pre-service training to teachers.
“If states do not adhere to norms, how will we maintain quality? We expect states to cooperate and follow the norms for teachers training,” Sibal said.
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