Education can build or destroy nations and hence, inefficiency and malpractice need to be curbed at all levels. With teachers being the torchbearers of education, the prescription of the National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) by the National Council for Teacher Education is welcome.
Setting standards
The NPST prescribes four acquisition standards for teaching professionals: Core values and ethics, Professional knowledge and understanding, Professional practice and competence, and Professional development and growth. Four competence-based career stages have also been set up for faculty in schools (Beginner, Proficient, Expert and Lead) with opportunities to move within each stage.
Good teachers are not just subject experts but must also have an aptitude for teaching. The latter must be ascertained at the entry level. Malpractices in teacher recruitments are the result of the lack of a stringent process.
Much is expected of teachers but are they given the time and resources to reach those expectations? Teachers not only require time to teach but also to prepare and equip themselves to meet the standards prescribed by the NPST. This situation is felt more at the school level, as here the staff are often given non-teaching work like data collection for Census, election duties and so on. If the NPST is to succeed, the additional duties imposed on them need to be reduced considerably, if not eliminated totally. Teachers also need access to mental health professionals to deal with the stress of their jobs and any other incidents that may occur.
The Legatum Prosperity Index 2021 has ranked India as 101 out of 167. The education index is in the range of 121-150. Hopefully, the implementation of the NPST proposals will help improve these rankings.
The writer is the Former Professor and Head, Entrance Exams and Admission, Anna University, Chennai.
