The first phase of recruitment tests for 45,000 assistant teachers in government primary schools began on Friday. Reportedly, some 3,96,764 candidates took part in the first phase of the examination. A total of 13,09,461 candidates will take part in this year's recruitment test for assistant teachers. The written examinations will be arranged in three phases at 1,811 centers in 61 districts (excluding the three districts of Chittagong Hill Tracts).
There is no denying that the number of primary school teachers has increased across the country over the last years, but at the same time it is disheartening to note that the issue of teachers’ training is often being overlooked by the departments concerned. Thousands of teachers are recruited every year and sent straight to classrooms without any training. This doesn't happen in most other countries. It is absurd that more than one and a half lakh teachers are teaching in different institutions without having the Bachelor of Education (B Ed) degree which is mandatory for teachers of government and non-government schools, colleges and madrasas.
It is teachers who alone
can contribute to build a
healthy academic sphere
for a nation to grow
Reports tell us that over 40 per cent of our high schools cannot prepare creative questions and 55 per cent of teachers of primary schools do not understand critical education methods.
Such a huge number of unskilled teachers are deteriorating the quality of education being imparted to students across the country. We must address the urgency of incorporating new training institutes and improving the functions of the existing ones.
It is teachers who alone can contribute to build a healthy academic sphere for a nation to grow. There is no substitute to building a robust pre-service teacher education system to help the country resolve the issue of the capacity of new teachers joining the schooling system
There must be a policy clarifying what training a teacher must undergo to impart education as professional. Teachers are professionals who require multiple skills to do their job, and accordingly we should also emphasize building professional standards into teacher training programmes.
