Teacher education faces several problems and challenges in India. While the number of teacher education institutions and programs have expanded quantitatively, there are issues with the quality and standards. Private institutions lack proper oversight and prioritize commercialization over quality. Teacher educators are often underqualified, underpaid, and contractual staff. Norms and standards decided by regulators are not research-based and do not focus enough on pedagogical processes. There is also a disconnect between theory and practice in teacher education programs. Overall, reforms are needed to improve human resource planning, mentoring, institutional linkages, use of ICT, and qualifications of teacher educators to better prepare the next generation of teachers.

1. Teacher Education: Problems and
Challenges
Sudarshan Mishra, Ph.D.
Ravenshaw University
Cuttack
E-mail: smishra@ravenshawuniversity.ac.in

2. …..of all the different factors which influence the
quality of education and its contribution to national
development, the quality, competence, and
character of teachers are undoubtedly the most
significant. (The Education Commission, 1964-66)

3. Teacher education is truly vital in creating a team of
school teachers that will shape the next generation.
Teacher preparation is an activity that requires
multidisciplinary perspectives and knowledge, the
formation of dispositions and values, and the
development of practice under the best mentors
(NEP, 2020).

4. Teacher Education Scenario
Quantitative Expansion:
Total No. of Teacher Education Institutions: 16917
Total No. of courses: 24199
Total No. of programmes: 15

5. Qualitative Improvement
Norms and standards (2009, 2014,
2018, 2019)
Curriculum Framework (1988, 1999,
2009
Increase in duration
Integrated programme
Opening of Programmes in multi and
interdisciplinary institutes

6. Problems and challenges
Mushrooming growth of private institution
Opening Teacher education programmes in
self-financing mode
Opening of B.Ed. Programme in DIETs

7. Problems and challenges
Commercialization
Compromising with quality
Lack of quality teacher educators
Extreme centralization
Lack of autonomy
Appointment of Contractual, under-qualified
and under-paid teacher educators

8. Problems and challenges
Norms and standards
Not based on sound research
Arbitrarily decided
e.g.- 125 working days in a semester
excluding the period of admission; 40
working hours per week; number of
faculties per unit, no. of rooms, size of
rooms, area, etc.
Hardly any focus on process

9. Qualification
Which is a master degree? M.A./M.Ed.
M.A. for liberal, M.Ed. For professional
why?
What about M.A. in Education???

10. M.Ed/M.A. in Education is not an essential
qualification

11. What about M.A. in Education???

12. Mismatch between theory and practice
Integration of content and pedagogy

13. Hardly, university thinks education
department as a human resource
development centre.
Academic auditing of teachers not based
on any sound research

14. Joint Review Mission on Teacher Education
(2013) observations and
recommendations
Inadequate attention to human
resource planning culminated to large
scale vacancies
Transfer and posting of under-qualified
officials to SCERT and other Teacher
Education Institutions

15. Absence of a decentralised planning and
management
inadequate mentoring and monitoring
mechanisms
establishing institutional linkages with
higher education and peer institutions has
not been given priority

16. role of ICT has not strongly
emphasized as a pedagogical resource
acute shortage of teachers in teacher
education institutions
Students are being taught by
underqualified guest faculty and
contractual teachers