The Role of D.El.Ed. Teachers in Imparting Quality Education

Keeping in view the exigency of trained teachers in educational institutions, the national government has recently implemented Diploma in Elementary Education (D.EI.ED.) course for untrained teachers at Primary Level and Upper Primary Level as obligatory with immediate effect in order to meet all the challenges related to teaching and development of education qualities throughout the country. Consequently innumerable prospective teachers hurriedly enrolled themselves in the last part of the month of Sept. 2017 through internet for the said course of two years duration under the guidance and supervision of National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) The implementation of D.EI.ED course may sound excellent in theory but it may not be so much in practise. On the other hand, we cannot precisely come to the conclusion how much it will be effective or acclaimed as suitable as well as feasible catering for the needs of students and teachers alike. Something lacking imperfect as well as controversial issues are not far to seek.

1. Non-availability of study materials mainly, the prescribed books for the course, lack of proper and authentic information from time to except internet, ill-equipped scattered study centres without well-qualified instructor/staff, haphazard time-table, performing and submission of written assignments simply by collecting readymade answers from Internet – the only source of store house of our knowledge, PCP classes conducted simply as per norms without giving much attention and proper importance. On the whole there was no scope to develop and nurture the potentialities of teachers even to acquire minimum knowledge. How can we advocate them as trained teachers when they themselves are bereft of the acquired qualities.
2. Some of the aims and objectives, title of the course for Evolution scheme of D.EI.ED Programme are no longer considered imperative as they are not directly linked with teaching and learning process. Some are impracticable too in class room teaching.
3. Even before the end of First Year Exam. and announcement of the result, teachers have been asked to submit their fees for the admission in second year course. It clearly reveals that there will be no detention policy. All will be declared qualified and trained. Whenever some kinds of training is imparted for the greater interest of the nation, mainly for the teachers, the govt must take the decision cogently, otherwise it may have detrimental effects also.
4. The course is meant to some extent a Refresher Course over the subjects to be taught. It does not help to enhance abilities, knowledge and skills to teachers to harness their works.
5. The right qualifications for the teaching jobs rests on to a certain levels of knowledge and ability, irrespective of so called trained and untrained, which can be attained in slow degrees.
6. The success in teaching depends primarily on the adequate knowledge of the subject a teacher is going to teach. Selecting or giving preference to a teacher merely on the basis of training may cause confusion and ever mar. How can a student learn a particular subject and expect better performance from a teacher who himself is not qualified for the same?
7. Methods of teaching are continuously changing. They are dynamic with the passage of time and changing situations. A good teacher must keep pace with the progress of methodology.
8. To evaluate the progress or measuring intelligence, abilities and capabilities of pupils solely depend on the performance of exam results in different subjects. It further evaluates the performance of the teachers and the efficacy of the school as a whole. We want our children to score high marks, without trying to find out where their talent and their teaching methodology lie.
9. In private institutions, some administrators are autocrats. They give sole importance to the academic performance of the children. Poor performance of the children may cause impending danger to the concerned teachers-insecurity of services.
10. In a crowded class, the teachers whether trained or untrained are always under great strain-conducting class-tests, periodical test, evaluating answer-scripts etc. Paying individual attention and caring is not feasible.
11. The Schools are pre-occupied with preparing for the final examination which will entitle them to admission to the next class. The teachers sometimes fail to cover the loaded course and heavy syllabus from the prescribed text –books. The end-results of the system may be literacy but it is certainly not education.
12. There is always a cut-throat competition mainly among the private schools of repute. Most of them follow their own methodology including teaching aids or visual aids at the Junior and Senior Primary stage to make the lesson interesting, attractive and effective.
13. There is a general tendency with the school authorities to prescribe more and more books for various types of study to the young students. Everyone comments adversely on the sight of the school going boys and girls carrying bulky loads of books on their backs and usually their backs bent by the load. How can we expect to expedite the process of gaining knowledge by prescribing lots of books for study with no time for these growing children?
14. The present education policy only ensures that students attend classes regularly, more and more children get admitted and there be less drop-out. Here also the stress is on the quantity of students in school, not the quality.
15. The courses and structures of studies should provide the best possible educational preparations for making job-oriented.
16. When we look into the problems of education, we see wide scale disparities in the educational development in the urban and rural areas which affects the standard and quality of education. Can the train teachers do something in order to minimise the wide disparity?

In fine, we can come to the conclusion that there is a crying need to stop such commercialisation of education at all level . Unless we are able to put an end to all such unhealthy trends in education, and evolves a comprehensive system of education at all levels, we cannot provide both quality and help in achieving the universialisation of education or mass education in this country. Neither can we make education an expensive item far from the access of common – man, nor can we afford to provide good and quality education to the millions of this country free of cost. A middle path has to be found very soon so as to protect the common children from the prevailing crisis of education  lest they should be the ultimate sufferer in the whole process. The fissiparous tendencies that we notice today are the outcome of the lack of a definite education policy followed by the nation,

Shibdas Ghose