Why New Project for Teachers’ Pre-service Training?

The government has reportedly is going to undertake a new initiative to train teachers of secondary schools before they join their profession. It will carry out a special project  named ‘Professionalisation for Enhanced Learning Project’ for that purpose. Currently, teachers receive in-service training. As most of our educational institutions face teacher shortages, the temporary absence of some teachers during training periods considerably disrupts academic activities and students’ learning process. Therefore, pre-service training offers a nice solution. If teachers receive training before entering the job and gain basic knowledge of teaching and learn how to deal with young learners beforehand, they will not have to go for training while doing their job, and it will no longer disrupt students’ learning. Teachers who start teaching immediately after completing their graduation or master’s degree often lack this basic knowledge. When teachers begin their careers with professional knowledge and skills, this will also help them create a better learning environment and ensure quality education for students. Training is essential for professional development, not only for teachers but also for all other professionals. However, the circumstances of different professions are not the same. The armed forces must continue their training and practice even when they are not regularly engaged in war. When soldiers enter the battlefield, they cannot leave it to return to training centres. Instead, they learn new techniques and strategies through practical experience on the battlefield and adjust their approaches accordingly. If they leave the battlefield to attend training, they risk defeat. Teachers’ battlefield is the classroom. If they frequently leave their classrooms to receive training, they too risk defeat, and students’ learning will suffer further. We can also consider the example of a car driver. A person must receive training before driving a car. After completing the training, the person gains more experience through regular driving and gradually becomes an expert driver. However, if we repeatedly take an experienced driver away from the car to provide further training, we may reduce rather than improve their driving skills.

The ‘Professionalisation for Enhanced Learning Project’ aims to provide training opportunities to those who want to become teachers. The project aims to provide these opportunities to candidates who want to pursue teaching as a career. According to the proposal, the project will initially launch pilot pre-service training activities in five institutions while continuing in-service training. The existing training course offers ten courses, and the proposed project will introduce another ten.
However, whenever the government proposes a new project to introduce pre-service training, questions arise about its actual objectives and chances of success. The government does not need a separate project to achieve this goal. It can simply impose a condition that candidates must complete prior professional training, such as a B.Ed. or M.Ed. degree or an equivalent course, before applying for teaching jobs. Candidates will then pursue the required qualifications on their own. Then, the importance of teachers’ training colleges will increase, and better private teachers’ training colleges, which now face a moribund situation, will also have an opportunity to revive.
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The writer is President, English Teachers’ Association of Bangladesh (ETAB). He can be reached at [email protected]