NEW DELHI: The Education Ministry has issued fresh guidelines requiring student-teachers at Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) across the country to help between five and eight non-literates become literate, depending on the duration of their courses. They will receive grades only after the learners they teach clear a mandatory examination and are officially certified as literate.
The New Indian Express accessed the 32-page document prepared by the Ministry of School Education and Literacy, titled ‘Guidelines for Teacher Education Institutions under ULLAS (Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society) – Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram’.
India has 15,509 recognised TEIs offering a total of 17,84,326 seats. These institutions come under the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).
The guidelines aim to ensure the mandatory involvement of student-teachers enrolled in all NCTE-recognised teacher education programmes as voluntary teachers (VTs).
The courses include the Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP), D.El.Ed, B.P.Ed, B.Ed, M.Ed and M.P.Ed.
“It shall be mandatory for each student-teacher to teach at least 5-8 learners, course wise, and ensure their appearance in Foundation Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT) and make them certified Literate under ULLAS,” the document states.
Under the prescribed targets, students pursuing two-year teaching courses must teach at least five learners, those in three-year courses must teach at least six, and those enrolled in four-year courses must ensure that eight learners become literate before completing their programmes.
Launched in the financial year 2022-23, the ULLAS initiative aims to provide inclusive, lifelong learning opportunities to non-literate youth and adults aged 15 and above who lack basic foundational literacy and numeracy. The guidelines say the initiative aims to turn teacher education into a literacy movement.
Student-teachers must also prepare a profile of each non-literate learner, documenting their details and learning journey. The document also requires them to prepare “A brief, reflective report about sharing the teaching learning experience and progress reports of learners”.
TEIs are expected to work with schools, local bodies, NGOs and community organisations to identify learners, the guidelines state.