NCERT University to introduce multilingual teacher training programmes for UG, PG, research students

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has announced that it is working on a new model of multilingual education that could enable teachers to teach more than one language in schools.

According to the education ministry, the NCERT’s programmes for schools will aim at moving beyond the conventional system where a language teacher is largely trained in one.

Notably, under the proposed model, students pursuing undergraduate, postgraduate, and research programmes under the NCERT university may receive training in both language proficiency and the pedagogical skills required to teach multiple languages.

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NCERT's teacher training programme

“The idea is to address one of the practical challenges schools face while expanding language choices. A school may have only a small number of students opting for one particular Indian language,” the official notification read.

According to the NCERT, a multilingual teacher could make it possible for schools to offer a wider choice of languages without necessarily requiring a separate teacher for each one.

The NCERT programmes are expected to focus not just on whether a trainee can speak multiple languages, but whether the person has sufficient academic command to teach them in a classroom, it said.

The details, including how many languages a teacher can be trained in and the level of proficiency required in each, are still being worked out, the teacher training institute said.

Recently, the NCERT launched an online diploma programme in teaching of science at the middle stage. The course was designed to enhance teaching practices and strengthen the understanding of science education.

The online course was aimed for teachers who teach science at the middle stage from classes 6 to 8. It is primarily designed for such individuals who are desirous of improving their domain and pedagogic skills required for teaching science at this level.