Delhi gets teachers' varsity
New Delhi: "We aim to inspire today's students to become tomorrow's teachers," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Friday as he inaugurated the first-of-its-kind Delhi Teacher University campus here in Mukherjee Nagar, adding that it would prepare well-trained and highly qualified teachers, who will be crucial "nation-builders".
"It gives me great pleasure to inaugurate the 'Delhi Teachers University'... it will offer a new age, integrated teacher education programme after Class 12. It will also emphasize on fundamental and applied research in education by collaborating with national and international organizations," he added.
Sisodia, who is also Delhi's Education Minister inaugurated the newly-built campus on Outram Lane, underlining the importance of developing excellent teachers especially given that they touch "all 360 degree aspects of our life".
"That's why it was easier to establish IITs, IIMs, AIIMS but we couldn't establish a top level teachers' university till date," he said.
He expressed the hope that the university will emerge as a brand and set new standards for the education of teachers in the world.
"These days it is common in Indian families that if a child is good at mathematics, then parents encourage them to prepare for IIT, if a child is better in history then they will be asked to prepare for UPSC. But children are never encouraged to become teachers," Sisodia said.
The university will offer programmes such as BA-BEd and BSc-BEd and focus on fundamental and applied research in education.
High quality pre-service and in-service programme, new age BEd, MEd, PhD, and certificate programme, focus on fundamental and applied research in the field of education, national and international collaboration for exchange of new ideas and best practices and partnerships with schools to provide hands-on-experience, are among the features of the teachers university.
"It will also be ensured that trainees spend 30 to 50 pc of their time in schools and get hands-on learning experience from the very first month of their course. Along with this, a unique cell will also
be set up in Delhi Teachers University which will visit schools of Delhi and motivate students to opt for teaching profession," he added.
The Delhi Assembly in January passed a bill for setting up a world-class teachers' training university.
New block at ITI
Meanwhile, Dy CM Sisodia also inaugurated a new academic block at the Jahangirpuri ITI with a state-of-the-art infrastructure, a cosmetology lab and a modern plumbing lab,
Sisodia said that in the current environment in developing countries, developing world-class technical educational institutes should be a top priority. "Talented students coming out of training institutes like ITI will write a new chapter in the future. Our country will become developed only when every youth of the country is skilled," he said.
