Meghalaya seeks exemption from NCTE rules

SHILLONG, March 9: Meghalaya is seeking exemption from the National Council for Teacher Education’s (NCTE) regulations in order to expand the number of spots available for teacher training programmes such as B.Ed. and D.El.Ed.
“We have written to NCTE seeking exemption from some criteria so that we can increase intake for B.Ed. and D.El.Ed. courses,” Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma stated.
He emphasised that there are now just 200 spots available for D.El.Ed. training in Meghalaya due to a severe lack of training facilities.
“We are giving short-term training to teachers, but such programs are not recognised by the NCTE,” he stated.
He emphasised the difficulty presented by the state’s 18,000  inexperienced teachers.
“Many of these teachers are practically trained, they have undergone short-term courses but technically they are still considered untrained as NCTE does not certify those trainings,” Sangma stated.
The government has been sending math and science instructors to IIT Guwahati for specialised training programmes in an effort to raise the calibre of instruction. These consist of special camps for skill development and residential training.
He stressed on the government’s emphasis on enhancing the state’s human resources.
“Our math and science teachers were trained at IIT Guwahati last year, and we’re collaborating with NGOs to offer teacher orientation programmes. In the upcoming years, we think these initiatives will greatly raise educational standards,” Sangma continued.
He also spoke on the state’s initiatives to upgrade school facilities. “In the last five to six years, under the leadership of Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, we’ve built new government schools, renovated over 2,000 schools, and constructed many new secondary and higher secondary schools along with college buildings,” he added.