Noida: The department of higher education of Uttar Pradesh has said that government colleges offering Bachelor of Education (BEd) courses must “adopt” nearby government schools so that candidates get real-time teaching experience.The decision comes after a survey by the department that showed that more than 50% of the candidates who are awarded BEd degrees don’t have adequate training in classroom teaching.“BEd candidates are expected to have at least six months of teaching experience but this gets compromised due to lack of access to schools and classrooms,” said Rajiv Kumar Gupta, the regional higher education officer, Meerut division.According to Gupta, the Uttar Pradesh government has been asked to direct BEd colleges across the state to “adopt” schools.“We are working towards qualitative improvement in higher education. The quality of teachers in schools and their teaching abilities are of the highest importance. Teachers not equipped with requisite skills would result in disinterest among students,” he said.Gupta said that classroom exposure was mandatory in BEd courses.“We were shocked to discover that hundreds of BEd institutes compromise on the practical component of the course and give marks on the basis of internal assessment and theoretical learning. Teaching is a practical endeavour and passing a written test is not enough. There is a reason for dedicating six months of the BEd curriculum to classroom teaching,” he added.Gupta said that both government schools and BEd institutes would benefit from the move.“While students in BEd colleges will get to teach in classrooms, the schools will get a range of teachers to support them from time to time. This is going to be a healthy exchange,” he said.

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