REVAMPING PRE-SERVICE TEACHER EDUCATION UNDER NEW NCTE NORMS 2014: PERCEPTION OF B.ED. STUDENTS TOWARDS INCREASED DURATION OF COURSE

Today India is having one of the largest networks of schools in the world. School education is most important stage in the whole educational ladder and underwent transformation since independence. For say after independence government of our country stressed on quantitative expansion of school education so as to provide access of education to the students in their door steps but in 21st century focus is shifted from quantity to quality of school education. This shift of paradigm and ICT revolution made the job of teacher more demanding. Quality of school education is depending on quality and professional commitment of teachers and quality of teachers depend upon nature and type of pre-service teacher training to prospectus teachers. Keeping pace with the needs of present time, in 2012 Verma committee recommended number of changes in the pre-service teacher education programme and enhancing duration was one of them. Hence, National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) came up with new regulation in 2014 under which duration of B.Ed. and M.Ed. was increased from initial one year to two years. The new NCTE regulations are implemented all over the nation from academic session 2015- 2016. However, the implementation of new NCTE norms has given a way to the debate on the credibility of increased duration of both the courses. The present paper will appraise the probable benefits and issues related with the increased duration of the pre-service teacher training programmes as per the NCTE Regulations 2014.