VOICES FROM THE FIELD: TEACHER EDUCATORS' PERSPECTIVES ON THE INTEGRATED TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMME IN HIMACHAL PRADESH

The National Education Policy 2020 has addressed the issues and concerns of Teachers and Teacher Education and made recommendations to ensure quality teachers at all levels of school education, their improved service conditions, career management, professional development, etc. The National Education Policy 2020 ( NEP 2020, point 15.5) highlighted that 4-year integrated teacher preparation programme will be a dual-major holistic bachelor’s degree, in Education as well as a specialized subject (such as language, history, music, mathematics, computer science, chemistry, economics, art, physical-education, etc.). Beyond the teaching of cutting-edge pedagogy, the teacher education will include grounding in sociology, history, science, psychology, early childhood care and education, foundational literacy and numeracy, knowledge of India and its values/ethos/art/traditions, and more. To achieve this goal, NEP 2020 signifies a crucial paradigm shift in the realm of teacher preparation. This paper is an attempt to critically analyze the impact of NEP 2020 on teacher preparation, with a keen focus on its potential to uphold and enhance the quality of education across the nation through integrated teacher education programme. For the critical analysis of NEP 2020 in the light of teacher education, insights were collected from teacher educators of Himachal Pradesh. Moreover, the paper meticulously explores both the benefits and challenges associated with these integrated training reforms, shedding light on their implications for the broader education landscape in India particularly in Himachal Pradesh. By incorporating perspectives from policymakers and educators alike, this paper provides invaluable insights into the transformative potential of NEP 2020 in shaping the future of teacher preparation and advancing the quality of education in the state and nationwide.