One teacher, multiple languages: NCERT eyes new training model | India News
@timesofindia.comNEW DELHI: India could soon train teachers who can teach more than one language in schools, with National Council of Educational Research and Training working on a new model of multilingual education as part of its transition into a deemed university, sources in the ministry of education said.The proposed programmes are aimed at moving beyond the conventional system where a language teacher is largely trained in one. Under the model being discussed, students pursuing undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes under the NCERT university could be trained to acquire both language proficiency and the pedagogical skills required to teach more than one language.Sources said the idea is to address one of the practical challenges schools face while expanding language choices. A school may have only a small number of students opting for one particular Indian language. “A multilingual teacher could make it possible for schools to offer a wider choice of languages without necessarily requiring a separate teacher for each one,” a source familiar with the proposal said.The plan assumes significance as National Education Policy 2020 places emphasis on multilingualism. However, implementation has often depended on whether schools have adequately trained teachers.The proposed NCERT programmes are expected to focus not merely on whether a trainee can speak multiple languages, but whether the person has sufficient academic command to teach them in a classroom.The details, including how many languages a teacher can be trained in and the level of proficiency required in each, are still being worked out, sources said.
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The academic pathway is also expected to extend beyond classroom teaching. Those completing the relevant postgraduate programme could qualify for school teaching, while students pursuing doctoral programmes could move into teacher education and research.The initiative is part of a wider restructuring after NCERT was declared an Institution Deemed to be University under the “distinct category” through a ministry notification on March 30. The notification has also asked NCERT to start research, doctoral and innovative academic programmes. The proposal could turn multilingualism from a curriculum principle into a teacher-workforce strategy.
