Close on the heels of Parliament passing an amendment to the Right to Education Act to offer untrained, in-service teachers in schools a window till March 2019 to acquire training, Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday told State Education Ministers to begin taking action against teachers who do not register with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) portal by September 15.
Nodal agency
NIOS, an autonomous institution under the MHRD, will be the nodal agency for teacher training in line with the requirements of the RTE. The purpose of the exercise is to ensure training of all teachers in government and private institutions by March 2019 to ensure better quality of education.
Mr. Javadekar addressed State Ministers via video-conferencing on Wednesday and told them that all untrained, in-service teachers should register on the NIOS portal, after which they can access study material free of cost both online and through 32 DTH channels, under the Central Swayam (online courses) and Swayam Prabha (free DTH educational channels) initiatives.
Annual fee
While NIOS charges an annual fee of ₹6000 for its Diploma in Elementary Education courses, the teachers who so register will have to pay just ₹ 4500 in the first year and ₹6000 in the second year.
A source said that when Odisha sought to know why the fees was not being waived for in-service teachers, the Minister said the States could pay the fees on their behalf if they wished.
Some States, sources said, sought to know whether teachers who were about to retire in four-five years would also have to undergo the training. They were told it was mandatory as per law, and any waiver even for those close to retirement would be injustice to students.
States will have to facilitate practical activities related to the training but NIOS will pay them for it. NIOS will conduct the examination to certify that the teacher has been trained.
