INDIAN TEACHER TRAINING SYSTEM: TRAINING OF SCHOOL TEACHERS IN ICT SKILLS TOWARDS BUILDING AN ICT ENABLED TEACHING

Abstract

In India school education over the years has expanded rapidly both in rural and urban areas. The quest for learning and better living is one of the motivations that every strata of society wanted to send their children to school. The enormous growth of private schools is one indication of the increased requirement education at school level.

The teaching methods, philosophy, school environments, and approaches to the management of schools have improved positively over the years. Teacher training is one of the important bases that the nation’s education system is built. The paper will focus on importance of teachers training in ICT skills towards integrated teaching for a better learning in schools run by the government.

The government of India policy on ICT for education is more enhanced now and encouraging. Government has also incorporated ICT training for in-service teachers through its various projects and policies. The main focus is the capacity building of school teachers in computer aided learning process. One of the important milestones that needed to be mentioned here is “Operation Blackboard” which started in 1987. The aim is to provide basic facilities to the all the primary schools across India. Now the novel initiative “Operation Digital board” is to promote ICT infrastructure and teaching.

India is one the countries in the world which has been focused on ICT skills training at Pre-service teacher training and in-service teacher training. This paper emphasizes both the category of teachers training where it is aimed at enhancing the ICT skills in building a smart classroom or school for quality education.

Methodology for the study includes a nationwide survey, conducted for both the category of teachers. Two teacher trainees and two in-service teachers were selected from each state of India. The study also evaluated various course curriculums on ICT which is followed by the teacher training colleges. Interviews with the instructors and focus group discussions with pre-service teachers are conducted for the study.

The major findings of the study explain how the ICT is made a compulsory subject at training colleges with the improved ICT curriculum. The study reveals the strategies of Indian government that surpasses the challenges in re-training of in-service teachers on ICT skills and building the school infrastructure.