Delhi University's B.El.Ed Course To Be Replaced: Here's What Profs Have To Say

Professors have questioned the need to do away with the older course.

In the upcoming academic year, Delhi University’s Bachelor of Elementary Education (B.El.Ed) is likely to be replaced by a new programme called the Integrated Teacher’s Education Programme (ITEP).

(Chetan Bhakuni/The Quint) 

In the upcoming academic year, Delhi University's Bachelor of Elementary Education (B.El.Ed) course is likely to be replaced by a new programme called the Integrated Teacher's Education Programme (ITEP).

The four-year programme is in line with the new school structure laid down by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Pankaj Arora, who was part of the curriculum committee for ITEP, told The Quint that the new course is aimed at preparing teachers in accordance with the new school structure laid out in the NEP – Foundational, Preparatory, Middle, and Secondary.

However, some professors have questioned the need to do away with the previous course when it is a "popular course with a high placement record." 

What is the difference between the two courses – and why is the jury divided on the adoption of the four-year programme?

Why is the University Divided Over The Two Courses? 

B.El.Ed, which has been running for three decades, was the first teacher training programme for elementary education offered in any university in India. Introduced in 1994, the programme was interdisciplinary in nature.

DU Registrar Vikas Gupta told The Indian Express that for this year, both programmes will be run simultaneously. "Both can't run together because teachers are limited; we are not getting new teachers from the government. We are looking at starting ITEP this July, and if there is a positive response, B.El.Ed will automatically be scrapped," he explained.

However, faculty members at DU have appealed to the university and the governing body to rethink the plan to scrap B.El.Ed in a meeting held by the Department of Elementary Education.

But why do they say that the old course shouldn't be removed?

Pointing out a few reasons why the older course should not be replaced, Professor Maya John, who is a member of the DU's academic council, said:

"The course has a 3+1 structure, which means that students can pick a Bachelor's course, and in the fourth year, they will be given teacher training. This, essentially, means that the four years of teacher training under B.El.Ed will be crunched down to one year."

Poonam Batra, a retired DU Professor who co-created the B.El.Ed course, told The Quint, "The B.El.Ed programme, with its interdisciplinary approach and integration of general and professional education, has successfully trained over 8,000 teachers, in consonance with the Constitutionally mandated Right to Education Act."

"In contrast, the ITEP programme provides only one-year professional training following three years of general education (BA/BSc), which is inadequate to equip teachers with the necessary knowledge and capacities for teaching diverse levels and classrooms."

Poonam Batra, who co-created the B.El.Ed course

However, refuting this claim, Pankaj Arora, Dean of Department of Education, said, "The new course is a dual degree course. This will allow vertical mobility because it has multiple entry and exit points. This means that if students complete three years and leave, they will still get their degree. For instance, if they have majored in Physical Sciences and leave after three years, they will get their B.Sc degree. Moreover, they go on to pursue their Masters and will even be eligible for PhD under the new PhD regulations."

He added, "The course is outdated now. The new course caters to the needs of the new school structure as envisaged by the NEP."

Why Are Profs Against the Way it is Being Implemented?

Professor Batra, however, said that the "imposition of ITEP contradicts the federal structure of Delhi University, which holds the statutory rights to design its courses."

She added, "B.El.Ed, recognised internationally, produces graduates who excel in teaching positions across prestigious private and government schools, including Kendriya Vidyalayas. Additionally, their eligibility for Trained Graduate and Post Graduate Teacher positions has been confirmed by High Courts."

Abha Dev Habib, a Miranda House Professor, added:

"The need for this course was not organic and this is a top-down approach, which does not work. It would have been one thing if the department had brought it up and asked for a new course. It is a very popular course."

Professor Abha Dev Habib

Professor Maya John also highlighted that no additional funds have been sanctioned for the course. She said, "If no funds are sanctioned, that means that the course will run in self-financed mode. This means that the existing staff would be overburdened, and a lot of guest teachers will be roped in."

She added, "When B.El.Ed was designed, the process went on for a while. With regards to designing ITEP, it was not a consultative process... We have faculty who were recruited especially to teach the course. There is not much clarity on who is designing the course and who will be teaching it."