District Institutes of Education and Training - Teacher Education

District Institutes of Education and Training: A Comparative Study in Three Indian States
DIETs are a crucial strategic vehicle for making this happen. However, for them to
play the roles envisaged for them under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, they themselves
require nurturing, a clear sense of direction, and a heightened sense of professional
accountability towards teachers and children.
This report has provided analytical descriptions of current training processes and a
critique of both the dominant model of teacher education and the view of teachers
that it reflects. While it may be possible to improve the quality of the current ‘skills
and knowledge’ approach to teacher development, the report has argued that there
is a strong need to reflect on the evident struggle of this approach to find relevance.
The research team investigated an alternative: the adoption of an approach that
begins where practitioners are, and encourages reflection and action. This allows
the investigation of practitioners’ values and will, both of which are neglected at
present but are vitally implicated in change efforts focusing on providing good
quality education for all children. The report has demonstrated that when this
opportunity is offered, practitioners can engage with their practices in ways that
generate excitement, interest, and optimism for the future. We hope that in these
ways, this report has illuminated possibilities for the institutional renewal of DIETs
and that, through its suggestions for improving the ecological validity of teacher
development, it will contribute towards improving the quality of children’s
learning.
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