A century of teacher education in India: 1883-1985

Abstract

Teacher training in India has evolved from a circle system to normal schools and teacher training institutes/colleges. This progression was influenced by various events, debates and recommendations. With respect to the relevance of the teacher training institutions, ideas kept fluctuating, and several of the other adopted policy measures failed in the implementation phase. Initially, this led to the opening and closing of the normal schools, which later expanded into teacher training institutes/colleges. This paper attempts to present the historical developments in the field of teacher education around the axis of teacher training institutes, teachers’ qualifications, the teacher training course curriculum, and the status of teachers. For this paper, the government reports and reviews published in the periods both prior and subsequent to Independence have been studied using a historical method. It reveals that, in spite of 100 years of effort dedicated to improving teacher education, the availability of trained women teachers is far lower than the demand for them in schools. Unlike before, admission to any teacher training course for primary teachers requires at least 10 years of general education, and secondary school teachers need a degree. Though over these years the salaries of teachers have increased substantially, the deteriorating status of teachers and the teaching profession has been a source of constant concern for educationists and policymakers.