All untrained teachers to be trained by 2019: Javadekar

The course has been designed with the help of National Institute of Open Learning and so far about 15 lakh teachers from both private & govt schools have registered for it

NEW DELHI: Alarmed over the poor quality of education, Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday launched a quality programme of National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) for training all in-service untrained teachers in elementary education. Till date, 15 teachers have registered themselves with the NIOS for the online training programme.

The ministry intends to train all such teachers with minimum qualifications by 2019, as per the amended Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Act, 2017.

The course, having a duration of one-year and six months, has been designed with the help of National Institute of Open Learning (NIOS) and so far about 15 lakh teachers from both private and government schools have registered for it, said NIOS Chairman Chandra Bhushan Sharma at the launch here.

The lectures for the course have been uploaded on the “Swayam” platform -- a repository of massive open online courses -- of the ministry and will also be telecast on Doordarshan’s education channels which can be availed by sub- scribing to its DTH service. A mobile app was also launched on the occasion through which teachers can get access to the lectures.

Addressing those present at the event, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said, “This would be the last time that the teachers were being given this chance to be certified teachers and no extension would be given beyond March 31, 2019, when the course gets over.”

“According to the RTE Act, 2010, all 11 lakh such teach- ers were to be trained by 2015. But we saw that in six years’ time from the passing of the Act we were able to train only four lakh teachers... Then we brought the amendment which was passed with unanimity in both the Houses. It’s children’s right to be taught by trained teachers,” Javadekar said.

About 2.82 lakh teachers have registered for the course from Bihar -- the highest -- while West Bengal has recorded registration by about 1.3 lakh teachers.