New Delhi, March 24
Soon teacher training institutes will be available in blocks where Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and minorities are concentrated.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs yesterday gave a go-ahead to a Rs 7000 crore scheme aimed at improving teacher quality for the purpose of meeting the targets set under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.

The scheme entails setting up of Block institutes of Teacher Education (BITEs) in 196 identified SC/ST/Minority concentration districts for undertaking elementary pre-service teacher education programmes and encouraging the use of technology in teacher education. This is the first time teacher training centres are proposed to be set up at block level, thus sparing the potential candidates the pain of coming all the way to district centres.

The scheme also envisages the involvement of private partners in boosting teacher quality to improve learning outcomes of primary and upper primary level students who are covered by the law.

The approval has basically been granted for changes to the existing scheme for Reorganization and Restructuring of Teacher Education which the Centre and states have together been implementing since 1987 pursuant to the formulation of the National Policy on Education, 1986.

This policy had emphasised the need for a decentralised system for the professional preparation of teachers and led to the establishment of District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs), Colleges of Teacher Education (CTEs) and Institutes of Advanced Study in Education (lASEs).

The reworked scheme, which would cost Rs 6308.45 crore during the 12th Plan, would entail the strengthening and upgradation of State Councils for Educational Research and Training and State Institutes of Education, strengthening of the existing lASEs and upgradation of Departments of Education of Universities into lASEs and strengthening of CTEs and establishment of new CTEs.

Even the existing DIETs would be improved and their mandate extended to training secondary level teachers.

The scheme would be implemented through states and UTs who submit their annual proposals for consideration and approval of the Teacher Education Approval Board (TEAB) constituted by the Ministry of HRD.

It is expected to address the issue of non-availability of teachers (some five lakh teachers are needed for meeting RTE obligations); enhance the effectiveness of teachers through better training and ICT support and improve the quality of teacher education through the involvement of institutes of higher education.