2013 Articles

In-service Teacher Training for Public Primary Schools in Rural India Findings from District Morigaon (Assam) and District Medak (Andhra Pradesh)

Kidwai, Huma; Burnette, Denise; Rao, Shreyanka; Nath, Seema; Bajaj, Monisha; Bajpai, Nirupam

India has witnessed several monumental changes in the field of Elementary education in the last decade. The ratification of the Right of Child to Free and Compulsory Education Act in 2009 changed the policy landscape and opened up avenues for different stakeholders to have a series of opportunities to strengthen the quality dimensions of primary education in India. However, given the enormity of the task much remains to be done to improve the quality of in-service teacher training in rural India. The paper represents an amalgamation of different viewpoints of teachers, cluster resource coordinators, resource persons, and staff members from district and state level offices of SSA, DIET, Department of Education and SCERT, on the challenges and opportunities usually associated with the in-service teacher trainings in public primary schools. The research methodology employed for this papers follows the mixed-method design, combining qualitative data from individual interviews (n=16) and focus group discussions (n=20), and observations with a cross-sectional survey of a random sample of primary school teachers (n=789) in the two districts. To guide this research, the following research objectives were identified: 1. To understand the role of teacher training in the existing pedagogic practices present in schools 2. To analyze the co-relation between the textbooks, and teacher training, and student learning in Assam and Andhra Pradesh 3. To explore ways to revamp the existing in-service teacher training programs in Assam and Andhra Pradesh so as to better support the teaching learning processes at schools.