TEACHER EDUCATION

TEACHER EDUCATION

Introduction

In the words of prof. Humayun Kabir, “Teachers are literally the arbiters of a nation’s destiny. It may sound a truism, but it still needs to be stressed that the teacher is the key to any educational, reconstruction.” Teacher’s influence is everlasting. He shapes the destiny of future citizens.

History of teacher education

The history of teacher education in India is as old as the history of Indian education itself. Education of teachers must have been born in India in 2500 B.C. the history of Indian teacher education may be divided into five parts;

1.                   Ancient and medieval period: 2500 B.C to 500 B.C

2.                   Buddhist period                                        : 500 B.C to 1200 A.D

3.                   Muslim period                           : 1200 A.D to 1700 A.D

4.                   British period                             : 1700 A.D to 1947 A.D

5.                   Teacher education in Independent India : 1947 up to this date

Ancient and medieval period (2500 B.C to 500 B.C)

In the beginning of Hindu civilisation teaching was concerned with teaching of ‘vedas’. Out of four classes of Hindu society, Brahmins served as teachers of the community devoting themselves to the work of acquisition, conversation and promotion of knowledge and its transmission to posterity. It was their duty to learn in order to teach and also teach in order to learn.

Thus, learned section of the Hindu community undertook the duty of the serving as the educators of the pupils. According to the Varna system prevalent at that time in which each varna was dedicated to particular profession. Brahmins used to earn their livelihood by teaching. It was a hereditary process teaching profession continued from one generation to another.

‘Manu’ lays down that the Brahmins alone shall teach ‘Vedas’ and nose else. To quote R.P.singh- “one thing is however evident that there were certain Brahmin families where teaching was a hereditary profession… There is no evidence to hold to view that teacher training existed in the formal sense, known to us. But surely the Brahmins knew about their future callings and learnt their subjects keeping the future in mind”. There was no formal system of teacher’s training.

Method and techniques of teaching were very simple. A student read completely on the word of the teacher. There was a close contact between a teacher and a taught.

Buddhist Period (500 B.C to 1200 A.D)

As the importance of teacher education was recognised it got an expansion. The profession of teaching was no longer the privilege of only Brahmins. Any enlightened person from any class of the community may get the status of a teacher after a vigorous training.

Thus, the formal system of teacher’s training emerged during this period. During this age a vigorous, well elaborated and through system of training for the teaching profession started. Formal teacher’s training found its roots in this period comprising seven centuries. Teachers were trained for the purpose of propagating Buddhism. They were monks spreading the spirit of Buddhist religion to the people. To get status of a teacher, one was kept under the supervision of the teachers from whom he learned the elements of morality, proper conduct and training in ‘Dharma’ when the supervisors were satisfied, they gave a certificate that one is fit for the profession of teaching.

The method of training teachers (monks) during Buddhist period was based on a system, which was, later on recognized and named as ‘monitorial system’. Teaching was considered as the noblest profession during Buddhist period.

Muslim Period (1200 A.D to 1700 A.D)

During this period there was no formal system of teacher training. Education was public affair. Educational institutions were called ‘Madarsah’, where students were taught by molvies. Education was mainly teaching of ‘Quran’. There was no formal training for teachers. There were also some Arabic schools with more advanced and comprehensive courses of study. Need of formal education was not recognised. No special professional training was required. Teaching posts were filled up on considerations other than mere academic qualifications were taken as established learned. Institutions for regular education and training in teaching medicine, literature, are and music were not in vogue during this period. Educated people available in the country or abroad from Arabia were appointed as ‘Molvies’ in the educational institutions. Only mohamdans were allowed to teach in Mokalis and Madarsahs.

British period (1700 A.D to 1947 A.D)

The britishers changed the above educational system according to their own system, their need and philosophy. Advanced system of education was incorporated. The monitorial system of training the teachers and the semi-formal system of teacher’s training was not recognised by them. Their major goal in the field of education was to educate Indian children in british system. Formal system of teacher education was started by Britishers. Danish Mission does established a formal training centre at serampur (West Bengal), as the first step in the field of training the teachers in India. After this three more institutions called Normal schools were opened for training the teachers, one each at Madras, Bombay and Calcutta.

As the government took part in education normal schools were opened at poona, surat and Calcutta. The number of primary schools was increased and the three more training institutions were setup at Agra, Meerut and Varanasi. In 1824, the total number of teacher’s training institutions rose to 26. Elphinston made arrangements for training teachers. These attempts of teacher-training were primarily meant for preparing Indians for lower levels.

Pre-independence period

Monitorial system 1880:

In india the idea of formal teacher training originated out of an indigenous technique, called ‘Monitorial system’. It was based on the principle of ‘mutual instruction’. It was worked out by splitting up a class into a number of small groups and by placing each group under the charge of a brilliant pupil, called ‘monitor’. The monitor was assigned the duty of maintaining proper discipline and imparting individual as well as collective instruction to the students of his group. The monitors gained some proficiency in teaching and class control, which enabled them to teach independently in their later life.

Teacher’s training schools

The first formal teachers training school in india was set up at serampur (Bengal), in the name of “Normal School” by carey, Marshman and Ward in 1793. It was the result of the joint efforts of Danish and English missionaries. Later on, some Indian educational societies also took up the task of training teachers. In Bombay, the Native education society trained a number of teachers for the improvement of teaching in primary schools. In Bengal, the Calcutta school society did pioneering work for the training of teachers for indigenous schools. The ladies society of Calcutta started a training class for training women teachers in the Calcutta central school for girls. A number of government training schools were also setup in the first half of the nineteenth century.

Woods despatch (1854)

Woods despatch populary known as ‘Magna charta of English education in India’ advocated the need of establishing teachers’ training institutions and of giving stipends to pupil-teachers for the first time. The experts of the committee said, “we cannot do better than refer you to the plan which has been adopted in Great Braitain for this subject, and which appears to us to be capable of easy adaptation to India. It mainly consists in the selection and stipend of pupil-teachers their ultimate removal, if they prove worthy, to normal schools; the issue to them of certificates on the completion of their training in these normal schools.” Unfortunately, nothing was done in this direction.

Stanley’s despatch (1859)

In 1859, the stanley’s despatch laying even greater emphasis on teacher training observed. “the institution of training schools does not seem to have been carried out to the extent contemplated by the court of directors”. In 1859, the new grant-in-aid rules provided that salary grants to schools be given for those teachers who had obtained a certificate of teacher training. The training of teachers received an increased attention as a result of this measure. In 1882 there existed 106 normal schools, including 15 institutions means exclusively for women. Generally primary pass students were admitted to those schools. There were no specific admission requirements for normal schools meant for women. If educated women were not available, even illiterate but intelligent ladies were given admission to normal schools meant for women. About the training of secondary teachers, training classes were added to the following schools;

1.                   Government normal school, Madras (1856)

2.                   Central training school, Lahore (1877)

In 1886, the first training college to prepare secondary school teachers was set up at saidapet in Madras followed by the opening of a secondary department in the Nagpur training school in 1889. Towards the end of nineteenth century, there were only six training colleges in india.

Education policy (1904)

Lord Curzon, the-then viceroy of India, felt the need of the training of teachers, it was boldly stated in the government of india resolution on educational policy. “If the teaching in secondary schools is to be raised to a higher level- if the pupils are to be cured of their tendency to rely upon learning notes and text-books by heart, if, in a word, European knowledge is to be diffused by the methods proper to it-then it is most necessary that the teachers should themselves be trained in the art of teaching.

Several national committees were set up to regulate teacher education in the country. Some of them were government resolution of educational policy. Calcutta university commission (1916-17), harlog committee of 1929 and teacher education. These educational commissions have given various features for teacher education.

In 1947, there were the following three types of schools;

1. Normal school; teachers of primary schools were given training in these schools.

2. Secondary training schools: these schools imparted training to the teachers of middle schools only. These students who passed matriculation were admitted in these schools.

3. Training colleges: the teachers of high schools were given training in these schools. Only graduates and post-graduates were entitled to get admission in these colleges.

Teacher education in post-independent India

During the post independent period several teacher training institutions were setup based on the following recommendations like University Education Commission, 1949, secondary education commission (1952), and Kothari commission (1964), and national policy on education (1986), presently are eight types of teacher training institutions in the country. They are;

1.                   Pre primary teacher training centers.

2.                   Primary teachers training schools.

3.                   Secondary teachers training college.

4.                   Specialised teachers training college.

5.                   Education department of universities.

6.                   Special institutes for trained teachers and research work.

7.                   Training institutes for women and

8.                   In-service training institutes.