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Valuing Professional Growth by Teachers
77
Valuing Professional Growth by Teachers
(Institutional Modes for Self-Education)
Chilana Mulk Raj
INTRODUCTION
Education undoubtedly is the key to national development and social reconstruction. Realization of this fact necessitates appropriate consideration for generation of such values as can promote quality education. An important area in this regard is the education of teachers. It is widely accepted that pre-service and in-service education of teachers are tivo vital components of teacher preparation. It is also an acknowldged fact that no pre-service teacher education programme can provide a fully accomplished teacher. So continued in-service teacher education is a necessity for maintaining standards in education. This is the reason why the National Policy on Education (NPE) 1986 envisages over-hauling of teacher education as the first step for achieving quality in education. It emphasises the need to realise the significance of teacher education as a continuous process so that teachers may meet the challenges of major thrusts envisaged in the policy. The strategies for implementation of the NPE, as visualised in the programme of Action, contain a variety of measures for promoting teacher's growth and development. A comprehensive provision for training of teac] important programmes recommended by the NPE and POA. A number of agencies are already engaged in imparting training to the practising teachers. The new initiatives in teacher education include District Institutes of Education and Training, Upgraded Colleges of Teacher Education and Institutes of Advanced Studies in Education. All these instituttions constitute the external agencies. They are conducting programmes in a centralised manner. Obviously, such an approach will not be able to meet the growing demands of thousands of teachers working in our shools. With a view to reach all schools and all teachers, it is necessary to evolve new structures which are not to be substitutes for above-stated external agencies, but they should prove to be supplementary to already existing structure of in-service education and training (INSET) of teachers. One such new structure has been designated as 'School-Based In-service Education and Training (SBINSET). It underlines the institutionalised modes for self-education of teachers.
January-March 1993
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