NCERT plans to train teachers for multilingual teaching: Report

India might soon have teachers who are trained to teach more than one language in schools, as the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is developing a new multilingual teacher education model, a report by The Times of India (TOI) said. The proposal is one step in the NCERT’s transformation into an institution deemed to be a university and aims to move beyond the traditional method of training language teachers in only one language.

The students enrolled in undergraduate, postgraduate and research programs at the NCERT university under the proposed model could get trained in multiple languages. According to sources in the Ministry of Education, the program is likely to combine language proficiency with the academic knowledge and teaching skills necessary to teach lessons in more than one language, TOI reported.

The initiative is targeted at helping schools in providing a wider choice of Indian languages, particularly where a small number of students choose a particular language. “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,” according to TOI, a source familiar with the proposal said.

Also read | TISS releases 50 open educational resources for teachers, teacher educators

NCERT multilingual teacher training model

The proposed programme seeks to address the challenges schools face in providing language options when student enrolment in a particular language is low. Under the model, teachers could be trained to teach multiple languages rather than specialise in only one, potentially helping schools manage their language teaching requirements.

According to the TOI report, the training will focus not only on whether candidates can speak multiple languages but also on whether they have sufficient academic command to teach them in a classroom. The number of languages teachers could be trained in and the proficiency levels required for each are still being worked out, the report said.

The proposed model is expected to align with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which majorly emphasises multilingual education. Although, implementation of multilingual education generally depends on the availability of trained teachers.

Also read | IIMK, Walmart Global Tech launches ‘DEEP LEAP’ incubation programme to support 50 DeepTech startups in India

Academic programmes and research

The proposed academic path may include more than classroom instruction. TOI said students who complete the relevant postgraduate program may qualify for school teaching and those pursuing doctoral programs could enter teacher education and research.

The development is part of NCERT’s larger academic restructuring following it being declared as an Institution Deemed to be University under the ‘distinct category’ through a Ministry of Education notification on March 30. The notification also called for NCERT to initiate research, doctoral and innovative academic programs, the report said.

The proposed model for multilingual teacher education might provide a bridge between the focus on multilingualism and a teacher-education framework. But the final structure of the program, language requirements and implementation details are yet to be confirmed.