THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Close on the heels of undergraduate courses adopting the four-year model, teacher education in the state is also set for a major transformation with the implementation of the four-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP), in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
A committee tasked with evolving a curriculum framework and regulation for ITEP in the state has recommended its implementation, with the option of exiting with a degree in a disciplinary or interdisciplinary major after the third year and a teaching degree after four years.
The three-year UG degree will be awarded in the chosen major upon the successful completion of required courses totalling 133 credits. For the four-year ITEP, a degree will be awarded in the two chosen majors, of which one major in education will be common to all.
The other major can be on a subject area as per the choice of the learner. ITEP degree would require obtaining 177 credits, including 12 credits from the selected minor.
ITEP will have four stage-specific specialisations in line with the NEP’s ‘5+3+3+4 model’ that classifies school education into a five year foundational stage, three year preparatory stage, three year middle stage and four year secondary stage. The four specialisations of ITEP – Foundational, Preparatory, Middle, and Secondary – will be offered in three streams: Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (B Sc), and Bachelor of Commerce (B Com). This will create 12 distinct degree pathways in ITEP, the report said.
With its implementation, the ITEP (in any of the four specialisations) will be the minimum qualification for teaching in classes ranging from pre-primary to higher secondary.
This assumes significance as the Centre has proposed four-year ITEP as mandatory for teaching positions in the country after 2030.
Meanwhile, the panel has also recommended that the existing two-year BEd programme should continue.
“The implementation of ITEP should complement rather than replace the existing teacher education systems and programmes. It is essential to integrate, accommodate, and strengthen the current structures and institutions wherever possible,” the committee said in its report.
