District Institutes of Education and Training - Teacher Education

District Institutes of Education and Training: A Comparative Study in Three Indian States
5.3 The logistics of training programmes
5.3.1 Recruitment of teachers to programmes
Not all DIETs in the sample had satisfactory arrangements for recruiting teachers
for in-service programmes. This resulted in both duplication and absenteeism. For
example, in the seven day SOPT training in Udaipur DIET in July 1999, discussed
below, no training was done on the first day as out of 60 teachers who had been
invited, only 12 had arrived and as at least 25 were needed, one trainer spent much
of that day directly recruiting teachers.
In Masuda, there were similar issues in the recruitment to training. A Sanskrit
teacher in an upper primary school where a training programme was held
observed:
T41 I have attended two training of 10 days each.
NP How did you like them?
T41 Madam, I feel the training was…. Now, in my 25 years of service, I have
never taught children of class I & II, nor do I teach them now but for 2
years, I received the training of teaching children of class I & II. Now ask
them what was the use of that training when I am a Sanskrit teacher.
T4I,T42, T43 We all have to attend.
T41 No distinction, we all have to go (RAJ/MAS 24.4.99).
Teachers in another block also confirmed that they had attended training for year groups
they do not teach (RAJ/NP Sri 5.6.99). The procedures adopted by DIETs (see chapter
6) do not maximise resources; and they also lead to disaffection among teachers.
5.3.2 Financial aspects
Part of the issue is related to the levels of travel and daily allowances a teacher
receives. Where this is inadequate, teachers who have further to travel end up paying
out of their own pocket, and this is a disincentive to attend. For teachers who live
nearby, there is an opportunity to profit from the allowances by attending again, and
leaving the programme once attendance has been registered. The knock-on effect of
such procedures is that training can be associated with making or losing money.
All DIETs commented unfavourably on the parent institute’s untimely
disbursement of funds. This often compromised DIET programmes, which had to
run without paying teachers their travel and daily allowances.
5.3.3 Once-off programmes
In addition to their worries about target orientation, some DIET staff also felt that
the dominant programme format also precludes the development of an adequate
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