Teacher Education in India

As is the teacher, so is the nation. Infact, he is the top most academic and professional person in the educational pyramid. He is the pivot around all the educational programmes which rotate in so far as their implementation is concerned. He can either make or mar the nation and act as a mid-wife for nation’s development. He can bring constructive, productive and quality education in the society because under whose charge the destiny of our children is being placed by the parents. The NPE (1986) has repeatedly said, "the status of the teacher reflects the socio-cultural ethos of society and no people can raise above the level of its teachers." Undoubtedly "Teachers to be taught and trained"–is a relatively growing concept found in societies all over the world, in the nineteenth and twentieth century. Also it is acknowledged that prior to this period, in all countries and communities teaching existed as a necessary art. The teaching art mostly depend on the psychological values of human beings and society and it is affected by the human behavior. Till today no one has so far made any serious efforts to look into the aspect of the teacher preparation. The present book is based on: what problems, difficulties and barriers confront us today in the task of improving teacher education which is a matter of great concern. What do research studies say about effectiveness, personality and other aspects of our teachers must be made known to each other, what are the new trends or innovations in the field, why do we need reforms in the system, what are the manpower requirement how do we ensure accountability and quality control and what type of teacher preparation are needed on specific contents. The learned author has also suggested that only if there are a large number of idealistic trained teachers and education workers devoted to the cause then the country can solve the social and youth problems of each school that are situated in villages and cities.