Four-year BEd degree to be minimum qualification for teaching by 2030, says new NEP

New Delhi: The minimum degree qualification for teaching will be a 4-year integrated BEd course by 2030 and stringent action will be taken against "substandard" stand-alone teacher education institutions, according to the new National Education Policy (NEP).

The new NEP approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday has outlined several reforms for both school education and higher education.

The policy has also laid down a road map for how the demands for training teachers in tune with the policy requirements will be met.

"By 2030, the minimum degree qualification for teaching will be a 4-year integrated BEd degree. Stringent action will be taken against substandard stand-alone Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs)," the policy document said.

"A common National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) will be developed by the National Council for Teacher Education by 2022, in consultation with NCERT, SCERTs, teachers and expert organizations from across levels and regions.

"The standards would cover expected roles of the teacher at different levels of expertise and stage, and the competencies required for that stage. This could be adopted by states to determine all aspects of teacher career management, including tenure, professional development efforts, salary increases, promotions, and other recognitions. The professional standards will be reviewed and revised in 2030, and thereafter every ten years," it added.

By 2021, a new and comprehensive National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education will be formulated by the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) in consultation with the NCERT.

"A National Mission for Mentoring will be established, with a large pool of outstanding senior and retired faculty who would be willing to provide short and long-term mentoring and professional support to university or college teachers," the policy said.

The new policy has also focused on transparency in teacher recruitment process and need for a mechanism for periodic performance review of teachers.

"Teachers will be recruited through robust, transparent processes. Promotions will be merit-based, and a mechanism for multi-source periodic performance appraisals will be put in place. Progression paths to become educational administrators or teacher educators will be available for the teachers," the policy said.

Teaching up to class 5 in mother tongue or regional language, lowering the stakes of board exams, a single regulator for higher education institutions except for law and medical colleges and common entrance tests for universities are part of the sweeping reforms in the new National Education Policy(NEP) unveiled on Wednesday.

Replacing the 10+2 structure of school curricula with a 5+3+3+4 curricular structure corresponding to age groups 3-8, 8-11, 11-14 and 14-18 years respectively, scrapping M.

Phil programmes and implementing common norms for private and public higher education institutions are among other salient features of the new policy.

The NEP approved by the Union Cabinet at a meeting presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi replaces the 34-year-old National Policy on Education framed in 1986, and is aimed at paving the way for transformational reforms in school and higher education systems to make India a global knowledge superpower.