In India B.Ed. course has been the benchmark for teacher education and the entry as teachers in schools across the country. But a deeper look at the Indian education system presents a grim picture. If we go by the statistics a learning crisis is conspicuous - almost half of the children in grade 5 in majority of schools in India barring the city schools face difficulty in solving a simple two-digit subtraction problem. Teacher vacancies are prevalent to the tune of more than 50 per cent in many states. But there are 17,000 (approx) Teacher Education Institutes that take the onus to prepare teachers through programs such as the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) and Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed). This could have easily met the annual requirement of around 3 lakh trained teachers in India but the reality seems to be totally different. There is a dearth of properly trained teachers who can meet the requirements of 21st century classrooms.
It is a fact that teachers with a B.Ed. degree found plenty of opportunities in good schools in India, but they are the very teachers who couldn’t dream of having a career abroad, despite gaining sufficient experience in some of the best educational institutes in the country. B.Ed. lacked and it still does, the new and innovative teaching approaches that schools around the world look for in a teaching candidate. An examination of 14 major texts prescribed by Bombay University for the B.Ed. curriculum shows that the texts are outdated and intended for Western educational setting which is of very little help to the trainees who are about to step into teaching in India as there is a lack of relationship to the Indian context.
Teachers with a B.Ed. degree up their sleeves were thought to be privileged to find opportunities anywhere in the country. But they were often stuck as a class teacher, department head or head of the school restricted within the age-old tradition and couldn’t think beyond the horizon as a teaching professional. As teachers today are expected ‘to be more than just teachers’ and here B.Ed. is not the solution, whether they are classroom courses or online bed courses in India. Moreover, with a B.Ed., teachers restrict themselves to a teaching career in India only. The quality of teachers determines the quality of education and the economic well-being of a society depends on the impact of good teaching. It’s much more than teaching for teachers today, it’s no longer working locally but globally and the focus remains on sharing, collaborating, playing multiple roles and pledging to be a lifelong learner themselves. The goal is to meet the needs of all students through fun, engaging and developmentally appropriate lessons and activities and helping students to want to learn. Today’s teachers need to constantly work on improving their pedagogical skills and using innovative teaching methods.
It is coming out of the traditional rote learning process and mundane routines but try different approaches to bring out the creativity, interests and potentials from the deepest corners of the child’s mind. Now you no longer need to pursue a B.Ed. course in India to flourish as a teacher in the country. So, break the traditional and learn the new and innovative teaching methodologies to guide and mentor 21st century learners. If you really want to make a difference in the field of teaching then opt for 21st century teacher training that would acquaint you with the modern teaching skills and approaches, prepare you as a global educator, provide you with a teaching degree that will put you in good stead in making it big in the world of education in any country of your choice. You are sure to find lucrative opportunities in some of the best private schools, international schools or even top private educational institutes in India and abroad.
However, do not forget that you also need to develop some innate qualities to carve a successful career in global education. They include:
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