Azim Premji University launches volume one of its ‘Issues in Education’ series

The Azim Premji University in Karnataka has released a series named ‘Issues in Education’. This newly launched series aims to highlight the fundamental issues that play a significant role in India’s education system.

Daily Current Affairs Quiz 2021

With as many as nine million teachers in around 1.5 million schools in India, the quality of education imparted to aspiring teachers is equally important.

Of the 17,503 TEIs in India, more than 90% are privately owned, stand-alone institutions, offering single programmes localised in certain geographies. Four States, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, account for 54% of all TEIs in the country. Only 12 States/UTs have at least one TEI in each district.

Equally worrying is the level of corruption. There are many substandard, dysfunctional TEIs functioning as ‘commercial shops’.

TEIs deliberately neglected basic curricular requirements. Classes are neither conducted seriously nor taken seriously by students. Almost all private TEIs allowed students with shortage of attendance to appear for examinations.

There is increasing prevalence of contract teachers, who are recruited for short periods on inadequate salaries with little or no benefits. This had caused long-term damage to not just the teaching profession, but has also affected student learning.