District Institutes of Education and Training - Teacher Education

District Institutes of Education and Training: A Comparative Study in Three Indian States
TT13 This work is more challenging, multi-dimensional, different activities are
going on and we can get different experiences at the same time. Teaching
has only one dimension (RAJ/UDR PSTE lecturer June 1999).
For others, the post in the DIET was making little call upon their Master’s level
expertise. This had led to a sense of stagnation:
TT03 Everything was changed and we got nothing out of it. I was the only
lecturer of geography in Dhar District. I was devoted to my subject and
now I feel so bad.
AC In the DIET, how much geography can you use?
TT03 Nowhere.[…] Where there is a little bit of history, geography and civics.
That’s all (MP/DHA/TT03 21.6.99).
SF MComm is not of any use but BEd and MEd have some correlation with
this work. […] My computer training is being killed here. I am in-charge
of computers but it is an outdated one. No-one takes the initiative to
change the drive and update it (RAJ/UDR/ TT11 June 99).
Table 3.4 illustrates from Dhar DIET a poor fit between qualifications and current
deployment in the DIET. This DIET had 4 Senior Lecturers and 7 Lecturers but
only three members of staff with the M.Ed were actually appointed as DIET staff.
All the others were deputed from schools to work in the DIET. Only one lecturer
had experience (7 years) in elementary education.
A lack of academic environment was commented upon by those who had had high
expectations of the DIET:
TT10 Initially, I thought that a lot of literacy activity would be going on in the
DIET. I would read books and be more academically involved. But when
I came here I was disappointed. There is no academic atmosphere in STC
teaching. […] I want to grow. The atmosphere is not very encouraging
(RAJ/SS TT 010 June 99).
During the project period, many DIET staff in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan
were waiting to be redeployed, and this detracted from putting energy into current
activities. In Madhya Pradesh, institutional restructuring was taking place and
rumours about the impact this would have on the DIETs were rife. This led to a
great deal of uncertainty about future roles. In Lok Jumbish, with the withdrawal
of funding, there was uncertainty about whether Masuda DIET would be
absorbed as a regular government DIET or continue as it was; and in Udaipur
DIET, several senior staff members reported that they were waiting for the call to
serve at SIERT, or for retirement.
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