MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS
Q1. Discuss some of the initiatives taken to improve the teacher quality in India.
Paper & Topic: GS II – Social Sector of India
Model Answer:
- The Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) is given at both the central and state levels (as STET) (CTET). This commonly used exam is comparable to the tests that candidates for teaching licences must pass in other nations.
- SARTHAQ, which stands for “Students and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement through Quality Education,” was formed by the HRD Ministry in April 2021. It is a method of implementation that has been suggested for use in educational institutions.
- NISHTHA, or National Initiatives for School Heads and Teachers’ Holistic Development, is an integrated programme for teacher preparation that serves as a resource for educators as well as principals and other parties involved in school management and administration.
- A digital education platform for schools is called DIKSHA, or Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing. By doing this, it opens up digital learning to instructors from all socioeconomic backgrounds. Teachers implement NIPUN (National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy) Bharat guidelines using this platform’s unique FLN (foundational numeracy and literacy) component.
- The CBSE created TERMs, or Teacher Energized Resource Materials, to assist instructors in integrating science and mathematics instruction in classrooms (for grades VI through X) with a competency framework.
- Teachers now have free access to MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) on experiential learning and competency-based learning through the SWAYAM website. Lessons with lots of interactive activities are designed to lessen the pandemic’s negative effects on education.
- The National Foundation for Teachers Welfare (NFTW) is a nonprofit organisation that works with the HRD Ministry to support teachers financially.
What are the drawbacks?
- The different hiring processes for central, state, and private schools as well as different phases make it impossible to streamline the hiring of instructors. Due to the different criteria and techniques used, there is a significant difference in the quality of teachers between institutions and regions.
- Many hiring practises fall short of ideal standards when it comes to evaluating a candidate’s aptitude.
- Only candidates applying to teach in government schools must pass the TET, and only at the primary level (grades I to VIII).
The following are further grounds for criticism of the TET:
- low rate of success
- quality issues with the tests
- long exam papers
- a lack of cooperation with programmes for teacher preparation, etc.
- These tests have additionally been in the headlines due to scams. A scam concerning the hiring of teachers in West Bengal is one recent instance.
- Only educators who are enthusiastic about their work will be able to bring about the good improvements in education that the NEP 2020 aims to achieve. The outcomes of teaching and learning will be improved by establishing clear quality targets and putting good recruitment techniques into practise.
Q2. What is the CUET. Also, what is the significance of this initiative?
Paper & Topic: GS II – Social Sector of India
Model Answer:
About CUET:
- The University Grants Commission chair recently announced that the Central Universities in India would use the results of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) this year to admit candidates to the undergraduate programmes.
- The National Testing Agency will be in charge of administering the common admission test for the UG and PG programmes starting with the 2022–2023 academic year.
- The class 12 NCERT standard syllabus will be exactly replicated in the CUET by NTA curriculum.
Significance of this initiative:
- Even the intellectual competence of the “toppers” is deeply mistrusted and distrusted in a nation like ours where school boards’ quality vary greatly.
- The young people won’t be under the burden of taking multiple admissions exams for different institutions and universities.
- Inflated cut-offs for admission to “branded” universities would invariably be eliminated if the CUET score or ranking was given priority in the selection process.
- It would monitor for subjective biases and value objectivity in addition to assessing and quantifying one’s cognitive aptitude and subject-matter knowledge in a specific industry.
