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Version 20 Oct 08, edited finalKeralaMaharashtraRajasthanLowerprimaryUpperprimaryPrimaryPrimary 10+210 + 2 with 55% marksUniversity degree with 55%marks10 + 2 with 45% marks2 year Teacher TrainingCertificate (TTC) with 55%marks10 month B.Ed with 55%marks2 year D.Ed + 6 monthinternship2 years Senior TeacherCertificate (STC) trainingTamil Nadu Primary 10 + 2 2 years D.EdWest Bengal Primary Class 10(desirable) 1 year TTC, notmandatoryAcademic qualificationsIn most states the higher secondary certificate is the minimum entry qualification forprimary school teaching—although statistics show that as many as 20 per cent of theelementary school teachers in India have not completed 12 years of schooling. Doescompletion of the higher secondary certificate ensure that teachers have sufficientcontent knowledge of the subjects that they are required to teach? Both researchevidence and anecdotal accounts suggest the contrary. According to a World Bank(1997) report, for example:Many primary teachers have not studied such core subjects as mathematics or thelanguage of instruction beyond grade 8 or 10. (…) One study of primary teachers inTamil Nadu found that only 39 per cent of rural and 53 per cent of urban teachers couldcorrectly answer four of five problems on a short mathematics test. (…) In a study inMadhya Pradesh, teachers were administered the same tests of reading and mathematicsas were administered to students in the DPEP baseline surveys. About half the teacherscould not answer correctly a mathematics question (…) and could not identify the centralidea in a paragraph that they read. Significant deficits in teachers' knowledge ofmathematics, environmental studies, and Kannada language have also been reported inKarnataka.Inadequate content knowledge among teachers often remains invisible at the lowerprimary level, since the no-detention policy and the textbook-based transaction ofthe curriculum combine to hide teachers’ lack of mastery of content. However,current education policy in most states reflects the assumption that a highersecondary school diploma provides sufficient content knowledge for teaching at theprimary level. Among the states included in this study, the entry-level qualificationfor a primary school teacher in Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan isthe higher secondary certificate, increased from 10+/11+ to 12+ after the number ofyears of schooling was increased across the country with the coming of the 10+2system. The pass percentage required of students wishing to become teachers tendsto be very low. For example, Maharashtra requires minimum marks of only 45 percent.The educational policy in Kerala, however, reflects a more nuanced concern withteachers’ subject knowledge. The state requires a relatively high pass percentage (55per cent) in the Class 12 examination for teacher appointments at the lower primarylevel, and not only secondary but also upper primary school teachers must hold auniversity degree. At the other end of the spectrum, teacher candidates in WestBengal are required only to complete Class 10 (matric before the 10+2 system). In the40
Version 20 Oct 08, edited finallate 1970s and early 1980s this policy was perhaps driven by the fact that trainedteachers were not available (given the huge shortage of primary teacher-traininginstitutions) and also because a large number of educated youth were unemployedin rural areas. In the late 1970s, for example, as many as 20,000 teachers wereappointed in one go.It is illuminating to contrast the examples given above with the approach evolved bySKP in Rajasthan where as described in the previous chapter, men who hadcompleted Class 8 and women who had completed Class 5 could become successfulteachers through an extensive and thoughtful process of continuous training andsupport. SKP’s focus lay not on whether individuals could demonstrate adequatecertification, but rather on the attitude and interest displayed by each individualtowards the educational process.Box 4.2: Who is a teacher: A factual question or a conceptual question?Starting point of SKP, RajasthanFactually, a teacher is one who is appointed as a teacher- And, she/he can be appointed only when she/he has a basic certification for competency- But, 'teachers' may not be actually teaching (teacher in name)- And, even when they are teaching, they may not be teaching well i.e., children may notbe learningConceptually, a teacher is a person who actually effectively teaches (Shikshak Dharma)For this:- Teachers must want to teach- They would want to teach only when teaching becomes a satisfying activity- It could become a satisfying/energising activity if teachers actually experience learning attheir own level, a growth withinHence- A teacher, in order to remain a true teacher, must want to learn- Must enjoy expressing what has been learnt- Must love the transaction process: it should be energising- Must experience love and nurturing in order to believe in itConcept of a Teacher in SKPFrom the question who 'is' a teacher, the issue was who 'can become' a teacher. What kind ofprocess is required to ensure that teachers are- present in the school- learn the subject well- learn pedagogic techniques- love children, care for their pace of learning- experience ongoing empowerment at the personal levelAssumptions- Every ‘ordinary’ person has some extraordinary potential- Capacity building is not a one-time activityRequirements- Small doses of inputs, continuous and predictable support- Ongoing follow-up- Heavy investments in human resource over a long period(Source: Interview with Dr. Sharada Jain, April 2008).41
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