SUDHIR KUMAR
Union Ministry of Education has notified the Four Year Integrated Teacher Education Programme- ITEP. It is a dual-major holistic bachelor’s degree offering B.A. B.Ed/ B. Sc. B. Ed. and B.Com. B.Ed. which is one of the major mandates of the National Education Policy, NEP 2020 related to Teacher Education. As per the NEP, 2020, teacher engagement from the year 2030 onwards will be only through ITEP. It will be offered in pilot mode initially in about 50 selected multidisciplinary institutions across the country.
Ministry of Education in a statement said that the commencement of Four Year ITEP will begin from the academic session 2022-23. Admission for the same will be carried out by the National Testing Agency (NTA) through the National Common Entrance Test (NCET). This course will be offered by multidisciplinary institutions and will become the minimal degree qualification for schoolteachers.
The Ministry added that National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) has devised the curriculum of this course in such a way that it enables a student-teacher to get a degree in education as well as a specialized discipline such as history, mathematics, science, arts, economics, or commerce.
ITEP will not only impart cutting-edge pedagogy but will also establish a foundation in early childhood care and education, foundational literacy and numeracy, inclusive education, and an understanding of India and its values among others. ITEP will be available for all students who choose to teach as a profession after secondary, by choice. This integrated course will benefit students since they will save one year by finishing it in four years rather than the customary five years required by the present B.Ed. plan.