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Unit 9: Agencies of Teacher Education and their Functions—NCERT

School Science serves as an open forum for discussion on various aspects of science education; Notes
Journal of Indian Education provides a forum for encouraging original and critical thinking in
education through discussion on current educational issues; Indian Educational Review contains
research articles and provides a forum for researchers in education; and Bharatiya Adhunik Shiksha,
published in Hindi, provides a forum for encouraging critical thinking in education on contemporary
issues and for dissemination of educational problems and practices. Besides these, a house journal
called NCERT Newsletter is also published in English and Hindi. The title of the Hindi version of
the newsletter is Shaikshik Darpan.
Exchange Programmes: The NCERT interacts with international organizations such as UNESCO,
UNICEF, UNDP, NFPA and the World Bank to study specific educational problems and to arrange
training programmes for personnel from developing countries. It is one of the Associated Centers
of APEID. The NCERT has been offering training facilities, usually through attachment programmes
and participation in workshops, to educational workers of other countries. The NCERT also acts as
a major agency for implementing the Bilateral Cultural Exchange Programmes entered into by the
Government of India with the governments of other countries in the fields of school education and
teacher education by sending delegations to study specific educational problems relevant to Indian
requirements and by arranging training and study visits for scholars from other countries.
Educational materials are exchanged with other countries. On request, the faculty members are
deputed to participate in international conferences, seminars, workshops, symposia, etc.

It also acts as the Secretariat of the National Development Group (NDG) for
Educational Innovations.

9.4 Functions of NCERT in the Context of Teacher Education

Teacher education is the most cruical input for improving the quality of school education since the
policies prepared for schools are to be implemented by the teachers, the teachers, needs to be
prepared accordingly. The NCERT, therefore, addresses itself to the task of formulation and
organization of teacher education programmes both pre-service and in-service. The programmes
and activities of the Department of Tacher Education and Extension (DTEE) focus on research,
development of materials, capacity building of teachers and teacher educators, academic supprot to
the centrally—sponsored insstitutions of teacher education like DIETs, SCERTs, CTEs and IASEs;
promotion of innovations and experimentations in teacehr education and school education and
organization of extension programmes.
The main functions of the Department are:
• To perform the policy and advisory role in teacher educaion and provide technical support to
MHRD and State/UT governments in formulation, implementation and evaluation of Centrally
Sponsored Schemens for Qualitative Improvement of Teacher Education.
• To perform 'Think Tank' function in the area of teacher education and pedagogy which include
review/renewal of pre-service teacher programmes at different levels and formulation of
models/designs of in-service education, countinuing education and life long educaiton of the
teachers.
• To adopt and assist SCERTs/SIEs for developing them as autonomous professioal institutions
in the States/UTs dealing with all aspects of school educaiton and teacher education.
• To promote innovations and experimentations in the field of school educaiton and teacher
educaiton.
• To organize in-service and continuing educaiton programmes of varied duration for teachers
and teacher educators/master trainers/key resource persons KRP at different levels utilizing
emerging information and communication technologies (ICT) and facilites of EDUSAT.

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