Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government on Thursday announced that students will soon be able to pursue the teacher education programme immediately after completing Class 12.
This is in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
“Eligible students can enrol in the BEd programme through the Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP). The ITEP students will complete their studies within a condensed time frame of four years, as opposed to the conventional five-year duration mandated by the current BEd curriculum. Earlier, students pursued BEd for two years after graduation,” Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj told reporters.
He further stated that eight of 16 government-run teacher training institutes in the state have entered into agreements with nearby colleges to facilitate the programme. “These MoUs are an important step for facilitating ITEP at these institutes. The programme will start once the National Council for Teacher Education gives its approval. We have not got the nod for the 2025-2006 academic session. We are trying to start it at the earliest,” he said.
The Minister said that the Higher Education Department has been introducing innovative programmes following the implementation of NEP in the state and ITEP is one among them. “The ITEP aims to streamline teacher education, provide students with an early start in their teaching careers, and enhance the overall quality of education in the state,” he added.