The Curriculum and the Implementation of D.El.Ed. (ODL) Programme In Chhattisgarh State: A Case Study

Abstract

Teacher education is a way of getting introduced to the
contemporary knowledge, refreshing the knowledge, developing a wider
perspective, enhancing the zeal, developing effective communication
skills, increasing the competence/efficiency, and thus enhancing the
overall quality of education. After the enactment of Right to Education
(RTE) Act, 2009, it became necessary to have trained teachers in
each school. As per the JRM Team report, 2013, a total 70,842 untrained
teachers are working at different levels in the school educational system,
in the state of Chhattisgarh. It is reported that these teachers do not
possess the required professional qualifications specified by the National
Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). Out of these, a total of 45,223
teachers are working at the elementary school level. In this context, to
address the provisions of Section 23(2) of RTE Act, 2009, the Diploma
in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed.) through Open and Distance mode
was started by State Council of Educational Research and Training
(SCERT) of Chhattisgarh under the aegis of NCTE. The quality of inservice
teacher education programme depends on the training strategies
and their operation. Therefore, in this paper an attempt is made to
analyze the curriculum and execution of the mentioned programme.
The present paper provides an overview of the curriculum of the D.El.Ed.
(ODL) programme, and issues as well as challenges involved in its
implementation. The article discusses the relevance of the programme
for distance learners and highlights some of the challenges of the
programme, which need to be addressed.