Private schools are increasingly exercising the flexibility to appoint fresh candidates for teaching posts, with or without B.Ed. qualification, as has been indicated by the advertisements for teacher recruitment.
Nevertheless, there is an imperative need for managements of private schools to ensure that all teachers possess B.Ed. qualification, at the time of inspection by the school education department authorities. Candidates chosen for teaching jobs without B.Ed. qualification are given a specific duration to complete the professional degree.
It is in the interests of this section of teachers that the managements are learnt to have voiced their demand to the National Council for Teacher Education to permit open universities, teacher education universities and general universities to offer B.Ed. programme under open and distance learning mode.
At present, the IGNOU, Tamil Nadu Open University, and State Universities offer distance learning opportunities for completion of B.Ed. only for in-service teachers in government schools. The only option left for candidates without B.Ed. qualification appointed by private managements is to enrol themselves in colleges of education as regular students and attend week-end classes, according to a correspondent of a trust managing a few schools in the central region.
The National Council for Teacher Education, in fact, has a provision for colleges of education to conduct part-time B.Ed. programmes over a three-year duration subject to fulfilment of specified norms. However, there is an impediment as the same has not been endorsed as yet by the Tamil Nadu Teacher Education University.
The part-time B.Ed. programme prepare teachers for various levels of schooling, upper primary or middle, secondary level, and senior secondary. The course has to be completed in a staggered manner over three years combining face to face teaching with school internship and school-based activities. The programme is ideal as it provides opportunities to persons employed as teachers in secondary schools from VI to XII to acquire professional qualification, with assurance of parity with full time face to face B.Ed. programme, according to functionaries of private managements.
The Programe conducted in face to face mode in teacher education institutions during vacations. Applicants with at least fifty percent marks either in bachelor degree and or in PG degree in sciences humanitie ssocial sciences or bachelor degree in engineering or technology, with background specialisation in science and mathematics with fifty percent marks or any other qualification equivalent, are eligible for the part-time programme.
