3. Enabling and Empowering Teachers
Section 3.1 - Ensuring an Enabling Environment for Teachers
A culture that encourages people to learn and work together characterised by trust and respect for all, is critical to a good school — this is possible in an environment that is open and caring and where dialogue, collaboration, inquiry, and reflection are embedded practices. NEP 2020 places Teachers at the ‘centre of the fundamental reforms in the education system’. It states that:
Education Policy must help re-establish teachers, at all levels, as the most respected and essential members of our society, because they truly shape our next generation of citizens. It must do everything to empower Teachers and help them to do their job as effectively as possible *
[NEP 2020, Introduction] *
Teachers need resource-rich, motivating environments, and continuous opportunities for professional learning and interaction. Teachers must feel a sense of pride in belonging to a well-qualified, close-knit, and vibrant professional group.
This includes ensuring adequate and safe physical infrastructure, facilities, and learning resources with safe drinking water, functioning toilets with running water, and basic hand washing facilities, as well as the infrastructure and teaching materials necessary to teach students effectively.
While these enablers are critical, they are not sufficient in themselves. Teachers are best placed to know what their students need and can find creative ways of addressing these needs. Hence, giving Teachers autonomy is necessary for change in our schools and classrooms.
Section 3.2 - Teacher Autonomy and Accountability
Teachers are responsible for student learning and must be held accountable for it. But Teacher empowerment and autonomy are preconditions for accountability. Accountability is critical, but so is autonomy — an empowering culture based on autonomy is a necessary condition for accountability.
It must also be recognised that ‘accountability’ is a complex matter in education; it must not mean a mechanistic linking of student test scores (or progress on those) to Teachers as a measure of accountability. A simplistic understanding of accountability and actions on that basis do more harm than good to the education system. A far more nuanced understanding is required.
Competent and committed Teachers are critical to improving the quality of learning. Supportive environments within schools and the ecosystem improve Teacher effectiveness. Teachers are unique individuals with their own set of beliefs and personal theories about learners, learning, and education. To a creative and discerning Teacher, every learning episode presents unanticipated opportunities — the opportunity to spontaneously stimulate and support the learning of what was not planned, and the opportunity to omit learning of what was originally planned for in that particular session. Competent Teachers, when autonomous, make the most of these opportunities through sound educational judgements.
Teachers must have the pedagogic autonomy to plan and organise content, decide the sequence and methods of teaching students as the situation demands, along with ways of assessing their learning. All this must be based on the prescribed Curricular Goals, Competencies, Learning Outcomes, and pedagogical approaches and principles.
Teacher autonomy and accountability are consequences of Teacher capacity and the environment in which they work. For example, if Teachers do not have a strong knowledge base, they will not be able to exercise autonomy. At the same time, if Teacher practice is affected by a lack of infrastructure or Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR), the Teacher can be held accountable only for what is within their capacity. Hence, Teacher autonomy cannot be viewed as independent of the larger systemic accountability.
Section 3.3 - Pupil-Teacher Ratio
It is widely understood and accepted that the right PTR enables individual attention by Teachers, and therefore can increase student engagement and achievement.
It is important to look at the PTR as not just a number, but as a measure that would lead to better Learning Outcomes. Many crucial classroom processes can be better implemented if the Teacher could operate in an environment of favourable PTR.
Pedagogy specialists argue that a lower PTR has a larger impact during the early years of schooling. It is found that students who attend schools with a lower PTR have a greater likelihood of continuing schooling for a greater number of years.
One important caveat is that reducing PTR does not imply filling schools with underqualified or temporary Teachers. PTR must be improved through the appointment and professional development of appropriately qualified Teachers.
Also, the PTR must account for resources available to students at home. A lower PTR may be warranted in classes where students have relatively fewer resources and support at home because of economic conditions.
Along with improved PTR, issues of infrastructure and the academic and pedagogic capability of Teachers must also be taken care of to take full advantage of lower PTR. There must be a full complement of Teachers for all students across all school Stages.
Section 3.4 - Career and Professional Development Opportunities
NEP 2020, Para 5.18 speaks of equal career growth opportunities across all Stages of school education. All Stages of school education are critical and will require Teachers who are competent and committed.
This can happen only when pay and service conditions of Teachers are improved as soon as possible to be commensurate with their professional responsibilities and must be set to attract and retain talented Teachers in the profession. The long-term impact of this will be improved overall quality of the profession and people’s view of growth opportunities in it. All Teachers, from Foundational Stage Teachers to Secondary Stage Teachers, will be recruited with standard service conditions as per their work requirements and with the same salary structure.
All Teachers must have the opportunity to progress in their career (in terms of salary and promotions) while continuing to serve as Teachers in the same Stage of education (i.e., Foundational, Preparatory, Middle, or Secondary).
Teachers can also make a career shift to becoming Teacher educators, or academic and administrative functionaries, on the fulfilment of specified criteria, including additional certification.
The approach will be to ensure that growth in one’s career (salary and promotion) is available to Teachers within a single school Stage and that there is no career progression-related incentive to move from being Teachers in early Stages to later Stages (though such career moves across Stages will be allowed, provided the Teacher has the desire and qualifications for such a move).
Section 3.5 - In-Service Teacher Education, Mentoring and Support
Teacher professional development is a journey, and Teachers progress through it at their own individual pace.
Different Teachers will be at different phases of their developmental journey and will have different developmental needs. Within each phase, the learning experience needs to be holistic and complete to a point that it can help Teachers bring about sustained change in their practice and move on to the next phase.
In the current context, and for at least the next 5-10 years until the pre-service programme makes the transitions outlined in NEP 2020, the role of in-service Teacher education is particularly important. Teachers must be able to implement relevant CF with care and understanding. Therefore, the professional development of Teachers must be such that they become competent and reflective individuals with the ability to drive educational improvement. Teachers must engage continuously with their professional development through a variety of means. Platforms for peer learning with mentoring and coaching support must be made available.
A school-based mechanism for the continuous professional development of Teachers is essential. These could be in the form of institutionalised meetings of subject group members, Class Teachers, Teachers teaching in a particular Stage, and the whole school plan and review meeting. To help Teachers, grow, Head Teachers and School Principals need to observe and assist them as they go about their tasks and hold individual meetings with them as well.
A well-thought-out school-based induction for the new Teachers, in which they get to learn about the vision and practices of the school, the expectations from them, and the nature of the support available, is essential. Senior Teachers can also be identified and groomed to become mentor Teachers for the new Teachers. Journal writing, documenting one’s teaching experiences, and writing articles for various education periodicals is yet another way for Teacher development, as writing helps an individual systematise their thoughts and experiences. This also enables Teachers to reach beyond the school audience and connect to the wider community of education professionals.
Teachers also need to engage in wholesome learning activities for their own growth. As students are taken on excursion tours and film screenings, and sports day or club activities are organised for students, similar efforts are needed for the group of Teachers.
Additionally, NCERT, SCERTs, DIETs, BITEs, BRCs, and CRCs provide academic mentoring and support to schools and Teachers through the development of support material, capacity-building sessions, on-site visits, and quality monitoring and supervision. These academic resource institutions must continue to play a key part in ensuring that Teacher Professional Development opportunities are continuously available.
Section 3.6 - Pre-Service Teacher Education
Pre-service Teacher education must prepare Teachers with a sound knowledge base and a strong professional identity. This will be best done through an interdisciplinary curriculum that reflects the NCF, and through a graded exposure to practicum over a period. The four-year programme outlined in NEP 2020, which is to be detailed in National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education (NCF-TE), will provide sufficient opportunities for Student Teachers to observe and experience school and classroom practices. Opportunities for dialogue with peers, Teacher educators, and practising Teachers will help them connect their theoretical understanding with practice. Sufficient time and space must be given to Student Teachers to develop this understanding — this will be enabled through the longer duration of the four-year programme. Once they complete the Teacher Education programme, Teachers will be able to continue their learning as practising Teachers, given sufficiently enabling conditions.
To ensure that Teachers are available for the restructured school Stages as soon as possible, the first step must be to estimate Teacher demand and supply. This must be undertaken by NCTE on priority, building on existing studies related to the demand and supply of Teachers for specific Stages of school education.
This will help ensure that the right number and type of universities offer the four-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) with specialisations in subjects and Stages of education: Foundational, Preparatory, Middle, and Secondary. The curriculum for the specialisations within the ITEP must be based on the curriculum and pedagogy of NCF. It must also ensure adequate practice opportunities for Student Teachers in all kinds of school environments.
The Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) should also be extended to all Teachers of the Foundational and Secondary Stages once the re-structuring of school Stages is complete, as envisaged in NEP 2020.
This certification of suitability to teach will cover Teachers across all kinds of schools. Recruitment of Teachers must be through rigorous process comprising not only a written test but also an interview and classroom demonstration, as stated in NEP 2020.
Section 3.7 - Head Teachers and School Principals
The Head Teacher or School Principal must create a supportive and empowering culture for Teachers so that they teach well (among other things), helping them in planning classes, providing access to appropriate resources, observing classes, providing constructive feedback, and creating an ethos where conversations centre around student’s learning. Another critical role that Head Teachers and School Principals play is that of building relationships with parents and the community. Head Teachers and school Principals need to constantly work towards ensuring dialogue with Teachers, support staff, and other key stakeholders on larger issues as well as their individual roles through formal meetings and need-based individual engagement. The effort should be to align the entire staff to a shared vision and to create a learning community.
It follows that Head Teachers and school Principals must keep working towards improving their own capacities to enable the functioning of Teachers. They must particularly work on their own biases, find time to know students and Teachers personally and professionally, and ensure transparent communication.
Section 3.8 - Role of Academic and Administrative Functionaries
Academic Functionaries have important roles to play in leading the school education system towards improvement and transformation. They will play a key role in the implementation of this NCF as well.
They are involved with schools, school visits and on-site support, continuous professional development at cluster-level meetings, in the development of innovative learning materials, as well as the development of a pool of academic resource persons to support Teachers.
Functionaries at the cluster and block levels need to support Teachers through classroom observation and demonstration of pedagogy. DIETs must develop extensive material for students and Teachers in the local language. In addition, DIETs must also create plans to support Teachers in the use of these materials. At the level of SCERT, the focus should be to develop the State curriculum, syllabus, textbooks, and other material. The SCERT should also take responsibility for sourcing, contextualising, and anchoring translations of materials wherever necessary.
Administrative Functionaries have a critical role in ensuring appropriate budgetary allocations for all aspects of resourcing, including the availability of Teachers, timely supply of TLM, with regular monitoring and review of progress. Appropriate collection and use of data would be necessary to ensure access to SEDGs. The integration of technology for this purpose would reduce effort while ensuring that data-based decision-making becomes possible very quickly.
An indicator of the quality of education will be the attainment of Competencies and Learning Outcomes. The National Achievement Survey (NAS) makes this tracking possible. In addition to NAS, States may plan State Learning Achievement Surveys (SLAS) with this focus.
Large-scale advocacy through public service messages and media campaigns, direct communication with parents, and wide-scale dissemination of simple methods and materials required for enabling parents to actively support their children’s learning needs could also be designed.