Primary School Teacher Education Programme: An Evaluative Study of DIETs

The teacher training institutes of primary level now called as District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) play an important role in producing quality teachers for primary and upper primary schools. Great is the task and dynamic is the role of the DIETs to produce quality teachers. Are these institutions producing quality teachers? Is the pre-service training programme provided by the DIETs effective in all respects? What are the deficiencies in DIETs? A variety of such questions are to be answered with empirical evidences. The research study was conducted in 1997-98 to collected data about the perceptions and attitudes of student teachers, teacher educators and principals about their training so as to get a better picture of the situation and to identify means to improve the teacher education further. The present study is, therefore, an ardent effort in this direction. Some of the major findings of the study are as follows: 1. The present day teacher education curriculum is out-dated and it should be restructured and reorganised keeping in view the present day needs and aspirations of the young trainees. 2. Teaching profession is not well recognised for which student teachers are unhappy. 3. The DIETs are ill-equipped with regard to the physical and academic facilities. 4. There is deterioration of standard in teacher education. 5. Diets have not conducted workshops to improve primary school curriculum. 6. Majority of the trainees have not been able to acquire any teaching skills during the brief span of one month’s teaching practice period. It is hoped that the findings of the study provide an insight into the problems of primary school teacher education programme to the planners, administrators as well as academicians.