New test for teacher recruitment

At a time when there is an ongoing debate about the urgent need to restructure the teacher education programmes in the country, would-be teachers in schools will now have to write an eligibility test conducted by either the Centre or the State governments before getting an appointment letter.

Called the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) this examination is external and additional to any other qualification that an aspiring teacher would have. According to a National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) document (this can be accessed at the web site www.ncte-india.org) the rationale for the TET is

It would bring national standards and benchmark of teacher quality in the recruitment process.

It would induce teacher education institutions and students from these institutions to further improve their performance standards

It would send a positive signal to all stakeholders that the government lays special emphasis on teacher quality.

The TET would be conducted by a “suitable professional body” designated by the government concerned. All questions would in the MCQ mode, and each will fetch one mark. There would be four alternatives given out of which one would be the correct answer. There would be no negative marking in TET.

Those wishing to get appointed as teachers for Classes I -V would have to appear only for paper one of TET. This one-and-a-half-hour examination would have 30 questions each on Child Development and Pedagogy, language-1, language-2, mathematics and environmental studies.

Questions in Child Development and Pedagogy would be all about the “educational psychology of teaching and learning relevant to the age group 6-11 years,” the NCTE document notes, “They will focus on understanding the characteristics and needs of diverse learners, interaction with learners and the attributes and qualities of a good facilitator of learning.”

The ‘language-1' questions would focus on the proficiencies related to the medium of instruction in each State.

Language-2 will have questions from among the list of languages prescribed in the application form.

The questions on mathematics and environmental studies would give emphasis on the “concepts, problems solving abilities and pedagogical understanding of the subjects.” The questions would be evenly distributed over the syllabi prescribed by the respective governments.

For those wishing to get appointed as teachers in classes six to eight TET paper-2 is the examination to take. Here, it is compulsory to answer the questions on child development and on the two language options. For the math and science teacher there would be sixty MCQs of one mark each, for the social sciences teacher there would be sixty MCQs of one mark each. Other teachers can answer either the mathematics set or the social sciences set. The question papers shall be bilingual; in English and in a language decided by the State government.

Those who wish to be considered for appointment to any class from one to eight would have to appear for both paper one and two of the TET.

Minimum marks

Only a person who scored 60 per cent or more would be deemed to have passed the TET. Though weight should be given to TET scores during the recruitment process, the NCTE document also makes it clear that passing the TET is only an eligibility criteria and that it does not imply a right to get appointed.

The NCTE has recommended that TET be conducted at least once a year. Each government can decide the validity of a TET; in any case this should not exceed seven years.

Certificate

Each successful candidate shall be given a TET certificate which would incorporate adequate security features and would be electronically generated.

The current thinking is to make TET optional for serving teachers. However, they would be encouraged to write TET just to see where they stand on the skills scale.

source:http://www.hindu.com/edu/2011/03/08/stories/2011030850120300.htm

Tunisia: Education resumes while activists continue to mobilise

Students and teachers across Tunisia have resumed their classes after weeks of protests that brought down the government of former President Ben Ali, but the debates continue about how to shape a new Tunisia.

Prior to the resignation of former President Ben Ali his Education Minister had shut down all education institutions during the exam period.

With a new Education Minister in post, schools have now resumed, and for the past two weeks, despite the insecurity and impassioned discussion on the shape of democratic developments in Tunisia, most students are able to take their exams.

In acknowledgement of Tunisians placing a high value on education, all students who missed classes, either because they were unable to return from the safety of their rural villages or because they were involved in protest action for or against the transition government, will have the opportunity to take their exams at a later date.

Eye witness accounts tell the story of insecurity within colleges and across the country. Higher education institutions are quieter because many older students have been engaged in debates about the current reforms. Civil society groups and the judiciary continue to be locked in debates about the next steps for Tunisia.

The transition President has been appointed, and not elected. The parliament continues to be composed of representatives from Ben Ali's dominant political party who are considered illegitimate by the people, but the infrastructure is not in place to enable parliamentary elections to happen quickly.

The opposition movement began as a popular uprising with unemployed young people and the energetic spirit of mobilisation continues to be active. Passionate debates about reform have replaced protests on the streets. Freedom of expression is being exercised fully, especially within universities.

While the transition government is not universally accepted, the old cadres have been ousted and new ministers with expertise have been coopted. However, the political experience is taking its toll. On 9 February, teachers from the primary and secondary education sector staged demonstrations to protest at offensive statements made by some newly appointed ministers.

Ordinary citizens, not just the intellectuals, want to understand how the democratic reforms can be implemented. There are reflections on what to keep from the 1958 Republican Constitution, what role civil society organisations can and must play. The trade union centre, UGTT, which played a major role in coordinating the so-called Jasmin Revolution across the country is represented in many commissions which are now developing new policies.

People are feeling inspired. They feel that they finally have a real say and want to be sure to take the right steps to preserve the integrity of these historic events.

 

source:http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=1512&theme=ei&country=tunisia