Need for plan to restore dignity to teaching - The Times of India
Those who study to be teachers get inadequate preparation for it in the BEd and DEd courses. We begin by setting a low bar for entrance to these institutions. To appear for the BEd entrance exam, candidates need to have only 50% marks in their university degree. In contrast, Finland, South Korea and Singapore recruit teachers from the top third of the graduating class in high school. These countries use a combined strategy encompassing compensation, prestige and labour-market responsiveness at the national level to attract high-quality talent.
Contrary to popular perception, teaching in India is now a relatively well-paying profession. The ratio of average teacher salaries to the national per capita income was at 3:1 before the 6th Pay Commission in 2006 revised salaries upwards. Now the ratio of a teacher's salary to the national per capita income is 5:1. In contrast, this ratio stands between 1 and 2 in OECD countries, and closer home, it is 1 in Bangladesh and 2 in Pakistan.
What, then, can we do to restore dignity to the profession and make it a career choice worth aspiring for?
Read on...
Those who study to be teachers get inadequate preparation for it in the BEd and DEd courses. We begin by setting a low bar for entrance to these institutions. To appear for the BEd entrance exam, candidates need to have only 50% marks in their university degree. In contrast, Finland, South Korea and Singapore recruit teachers from the top third of the graduating class in high school. These countries use a combined strategy encompassing compensation, prestige and labour-market responsiveness at the national level to attract high-quality talent.
Contrary to popular perception, teaching in India is now a relatively well-paying profession. The ratio of average teacher salaries to the national per capita income was at 3:1 before the 6th Pay Commission in 2006 revised salaries upwards. Now the ratio of a teacher's salary to the national per capita income is 5:1. In contrast, this ratio stands between 1 and 2 in OECD countries, and closer home, it is 1 in Bangladesh and 2 in Pakistan.
What, then, can we do to restore dignity to the profession and make it a career choice worth aspiring for?
Read on...
