The University Grants Commission (UGC) has proposed the setting up of four regional centres of educational management in the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) at Bangalore, Kolkata and Ahmedabad and at the National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA).
Officials of the HRD Ministry said at a presentation on the ‘Proposed National Mission on Teachers and Teaching’ that the UGC also had plans to establish Centres of Excellence in science and mathematics education in the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) for the development of a specialised cadre academy of teaching and teacher educators.
The presentation also highlighted the fact Technology Enabled Learning could play a crucial role in enhancing the capacity of teachers.
Addressing the meeting, Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said the final contours of the proposed National Mission and its operational features were being discussed. The Mission, however, would address current and urgent issues like the availability of qualified teachers, attracting highly talented candidates to the teaching profession and raising the quality of teaching imparted in the country’s schools and colleges.
Sibal added that it was envisaged that the Teacher Mission would pursue the long term goal of building a strong professional cadre of teachers by setting performance standards and creating world class institutional facilities.