DURATION OF THE B.ED. (BACHELOR OF EDUCATION) COURSE: BOON OR BANE

Teachers are the greatest assets of any education system. They stand in the interface of the transmission of knowledge, skills and values. They are accepted as the backbone of education system. Teacher quality is therefore crucial and has been globally accepted to be significantly associated with the quality of education in general and students' learning outcomes in particular. According to Schulman's (1987) conceptualization of teacher's knowledge provides the base of teacher education curriculum structure a teacher should possess subject content knowledge, general pedagogical knowledge, and the knowledge of educational contexts and goals; and should be able to use this knowledge creatively to deal with ever changing classroom situations. If we analyse teacher education systems in different countries from this perspective we will find majority of teacher education reform efforts centred on reforming the knowledge base of teachers, and similarities can be observed in teacher education curriculum across various societies. The ability and attitude of teachers depend on the teacher education programme that is in operation. In this context pre-service teacher education, which is a major part of Teacher Education, assumes great significance. In preservice teacher education if we talk of B.Ed. (Bachelor of Education) programmes, its duration is a controversial issue, because its duration is varied from 1,2 or 4 years (4years for integrated B.Ed.) all over India. There is a difference in opinion; with some arguing that course duration of B.Ed. should be of 1 year and others arguing that its duration should be more than 1year. These arguments are mainly based on Cost vs Quality.