Soon young college graduates and professionals can teach students in government schools across the city as part of the Teach for India (TFI) programme. The programme is a part of the global Teach For All network that is currently operational in Ahmadabad, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune. It will soon be coming to Bangalore.
Around 60 people (called Fellows) will sign up to commit two years to teach in about 30 under-resourced government schools in the 2015-16 academic year. As per the TFI programme, the Fellows will undergo a five-week residential training programme, after which they will enter classrooms. TFI has already signed a memorandum of understanding with the Karnataka government.
Lingaraj Urs, City Champion for TFI Bangalore, said that to begin with, the programme would start from the next academic year in Bangalore after which they would consider moving it to Tier II cities, such as Mysore and Hubli. He said that the Fellows would begin teaching in classes two and three.
Commissioner for Public Instruction Mohammad Mohsin acknowledged gaps in the teaching-learning process in government schools. He said that TFI Fellows could help reduce this gap by playing a supporting role to existing teachers.
Various studies, including the Annual Survey of Education Report 2013, had pointed out that only 44 per cent of students of Class 8 in rural schools can carry out simple division while more than half the students of Class 1 can read only letters but not words.
However, a section of the education department officials have criticised the TFI programme. They say that the department has introduced Karnataka Teachers Eligibility Test to usher in standards in teacher education, but is showing leniency to the Fellows. “When all teachers have to pass the KARTET and have to obtain a certificate if they have to teach in primary classes, how can the department show leniency to 60?” said a source in the department.
