Only diploma-holders in elementary education are allowed to teach students from Class I to V and there is a shortage of teachers in this category.
As per the HRD Ministry, of the 13.3 lakh yet-to-be-recruited teachers, Uttar Pradesh needs 3.9 lakh, Bihar 2.2 lakh, West Bengal 1 lakh, Assam around 2 lakh.
Of these, three states have asked the ministry for exemption under the RTE Act in order to be able to recruit persons on a provisional basis and make them acquire the required qualifications over a period of five years.
“We have less number of institutes offering diploma courses in elementary education. We have asked individuals and insitutions to apply to us to start such courses,” an official of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) said.
On the other hand, some states have surplus BEd degree-holders. For instance, every year around one lakh students complete their degrees in education in Uttar Pradesh. These degree-holders can be absorbed into the elementary education sector with the help of a six-month special training module that the NCTE is designing.
Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra have reached saturation level in terms of BEd courses offered at their institutions. The NCTE has put a ban on 12 states seeking to offer more BEd courses. However, in the backdrop of the RTE, this may be revised, officials said.
“In context of the RTE, states presently facing ban may now get approvals. We have asked education secretaries for data on teacher and students in their states and the number of colleges offering teacher’s training. Based on the feedback, we will decide further course of action,” the officials said.