International Journal of Social Science Research (IJSSR)

Challenges and Prospects of Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) under NEP 2020 in India

The Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) as part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is a noteworthy step towards transforming teacher education in India by offering a four-year integrated, multidisciplinary, and practice-focused approach. This study explores the issue of ITEP in the context of India's growing school and higher education system, along with the issues and challenges it faces. The study is qualitative and descriptive-analytical based on secondary data gathered from NEP 2020, NCTE documentation and UDISE+, Government reports and relevant literature. The results suggest that ITEP has great potential in enhancing the teacher quality with the integration of subject competence, pedagogy, school practice, inclusive education, professional ethics and reflective practice. According to the government data, India has crores of students in its school system, over one crore teachers and a vast network of government schools, hence the teacher preparation reform is of immense importance. The effective implementation of ITEP, however, relies on institutional preparedness, qualified faculty, multidisciplinary infrastructure, effective school-university partnership, meaningful practicum, affordability and region equity. The study concludes that viewing ITEP as a mere change in the degree structure is wrong and it is a long-term systemic reform of the teacher education in India to professionalise it. It will need to be backed with robust regulation, ongoing monitoring, sufficient investments and equitable access in various regions and institutions to be successful.