ABOUT DIET, BARPETA
District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), Barpeta, Howly is the only premier and nodal institution in the entire district of Barpeta responsible for providing academic and resource support towards universalization of elementary education through qualitative improvement of the education scenario of the district. Located at Howly, a prime place of the district with convenient transport and communication facilities, 12 kms from the district Headquarter town of Barpeta, was established by the Assam government in 1994 as per recommendation of the National Policy of Education (NPE), 1986. Though the DIET’s own building was constructed at a plot of land adjacent to the Basic Training Centre (BTC), Howly, the functioning of the institute had to be shifted to the present premises as the building has been occupied by the CRPF at the instruction of the government.
Presently DIET, Barpeta, Howly has been functioning since 2003 at the two blocks of the old Assam Type building of Govt. Normal School, Howly as per government’s order, Vide No. PMA/SSA/11/2002/pt. dated Guwahati the 20th January, 2003. One block has been used as the office and classrooms and the other one as the hostel for trainees. As the present AT building under the occupation of DIET was constructed in 1957, it needs a major repairing and renovation works with development of adequate infrastructural and other facilities. The present DIET campus is located at a plot of land measuring about 30 bighas. So the entire campus including the DIET premises and the playground may be treated as DIET complex for future construction of infrastructural and civil works for the DIET.
Since its inception, DIET, Barpeta, Howly has been providing great contribution towards implementation of various educational programmes and related schemes undertaken by the government, DPEP, SSA, RMSA and other concerned authorities as per guidelines of the government. Various In-service Teacher Education programmes as well as PSTE courses (D.El.Ed courses) and CPE (IGNOU) courses are being successfully conducted by the DIET, Apart from its own programmes, both in house and extension services, the institute has been the main hub of all academic programmes of the district including training, workshop and orientation programmes organized by the aforesaid organizations. This DIET has been accorded recognition by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) in 1998, Vide NCTE letter No. F.No. AS-E/E-1/96/5556 dated 6-3-98 with an intake capacity of 60 and continuation with this Existing +additional intake of 100 has grant and recognized by NCTE vide letter No.F.No.ER-241.6.19/ID No.-10343/D.El.Ed-Addl.intake/2017/53587, Dd.20.06.2017. DIET, Barpeta has continuing 2-years B.Ed Course since 2018 under affiliation of Bodoland university and recognized vide NCTE Letter No.F.No.ER.-243.6.43/ ID No.-9129/B.Ed/2017/54560, Date:05/10/2017.
A Programme Advisory Committee (PAC) for DIET, Barpeta, Howly with the Deputy Commissioner of Barpeta District as the Chairman has been constituted as per government guidelines and the Government of Assam has formally notified the same. The PAC for DIET, Barpeta, Howly is shown at Annexure-VI at the end of this document. Apart from the three wings – Administrative, Establishment and Academic.
THE MAIN CONSTITUENTS OF THE DIET ARE:
1.Pre Service Teacher Education (PSTE).
2.In-service Field Interaction and Co-ordination (IFIC).
3.Planning and Management(PM).
4.Education Technology (ET).
5.Curriculum, Material Development and Evaluation (CMDE).
6.Work Educating (WE).
7.District Resource Unit (DRU).
GOALS AND OBJECTIVE:
1. CHILDREN:In Barpeta district about 15% of the total population belongs to the children of 0-6 years age group. While the literacy rate of the district reveals that 35% people are yet to be literate out of which 38% is rural and 13% urban people. Majority of child population belongs to the river-rine/Char areas who are yet to be given scope to exercise their right to education. So, DIET, Barpeta, Howly has to play a major role in materializing the goal of UEE to children of 0-14 years age in the light of RTE Act, 2009.
2. TEACHER TRAINEES (PSTE): As the follow up action of the state government to reintroduce 2-years PSTE course leading to the award of Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed) to the prospective teachers after a gap of the last one decade, the DIET, Barpeta, Howly has fully geared up for running the said course in the institute. As per directives of the SCERT, Assam, 100 seats have been allotted for admission into PSTE D.El.Ed. course. The curriculum for the D.El.Ed course has already been developed as per NCTE guideline by the SCERT, Assam in association with the DIETs through workshop mode wherein two faculty members also took part. It is hoped that this institute will able to build up a pool of quality prospective teachers batch by batch who will engaged in the schools of the district in the future. DIET, Barpeta Continuing B.Ed Course since 2018 under affiliation of Bodoland university.
3. IN-SERVICE TEACHERS:As the limitation of the DIETs has been extended from elementary education to the Higher secondary stage of education in the context of NCF, 2005 and RTE Act, 2009, DIET, Barpeta, Howly has a challenge ahead to train up adequately a large number of untrained In-service teachers in both the stage of education in the district of Barpeta. The recent datas show that 314 LP teachers and 1445 UP teachers in the district have not received any kind of either short term or long term In-service Teacher Education Programme. So, DIET, Barpeta, Howly has set a goal to cover these untrained teachers by organizing a number of orientation and training programmes chalked out the purpose.
4. TEACHER EDUCATORS: While talking about providing quality education to children itneeds to have quality teachersand to develop quality teachers it is important that teacher educators themselves need to be empowered enough to impart quality training to both the trainees of PSTE and ISTE programmes organized in the institute and elsewhere. So the keeping the goal of capacity building of the teacher educators of the Institute itself as well as teacher educators from other TEIs and CTEs the district, the DIET, Barpeta, Howly has given emphasis on this area by formulating some pogrammes especially for teacher educators of thedistrict.
5. MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT:There is a great dearth of different types of materials to support the children and teachers in their learning and teaching respectively as well as to the teacher educators in their training programmes. As such, DIET, Barpta, Howly has set a goal this year to develop different need based materials (Print, Audio, Video, forms) like TLMs/TLEs, training modules, etc.
BARRIERS:IN THE WAY TO THE GOALS:
The district Barpeta with a complex demographic and geographic set up has lot of barriers being faced by DIET, Barpeta, Howly in achieving its goals.
STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME THE BARRIERS:
With a view to overcome the barriers mentioned above that come in the way in achieving the goals in the district the following strategies have been formulated.
1.Strategies for children development:
• Evolving the DIETs own mechanism in collaboration with BRCs/CRCs/Teachers/NGOs etc to capture updated data’s on children (child population age wise, enrolment, dropout, achievement etc. – child profile of the district)
• Studies in the needs of the children (curricular/Co-curricular- aspects of all round development) and need analysis by DIET faculty and resource group members.
• Reaching out children through school visits, child oriented programmes, Sishu-Mela, Exhibition, Competition, Tournament, etc.
• Organizing awareness building programmes/Workshop for children/Teachers/Guardians/Community group on child Rights/RTE Act/ Child labourer prevention Act/ curricular-curricular areas, etc.
• Designing and developing various support materials (Print, Audio, Video, TLMs/TLEs, etc) through workshops.
2. Empowering Teacher Trainees (PSTE):
o Orientation/Training programmes for Teacher Educators on the newly introduced PSTE (D.El.Ed, etc) curriculum.
o Bridging gaps between school education curriculum and Teacher Education curriculum through convergence among different stakeholders.
o Identification and use of locally available resources to strengthen teacher trainees through interaction, workshop, etc.
3. Strengthening In-service teacher education:
• Undertaking teachers need finding studies/need analysis for in-service teachers through school visits/interactions, etc. in collaboration with BRCs/CRCs/DACG/BACG, etc.
• Incorporation of local specific relevant elements in the I-service teacher education programmes.
• Need based/Workshop for teachers on various issues and concerns of school education/on subject areas/hard spots etc.
• Pool of Master Trainers for different subjects for will be developed to support the DIET in organizing ISTE programmes at DIET/Blocks.
• Convergence with authorities/inspecting/supervising/monitoring/functionaries for ensuring teachers’ participation in various training programmes/ workshop organized by DIET.
4. Capacity building of teacher educators:
• Orientation/workshop/training programmes for capacity building and empowerment of teacher educators in the light of NCFTE/NCF/RTE.
• Deputing teachers educators for professional development/Higher Education courses inside and outside the state.
• Exposure visits by teacher educators/DIET faculty members to Institutes inside and outside the state.
• Regular convergence meeting with teacher educators of other TEIs/SCERT/IASE, etc.
• Constituting teacher educators’ forum in the district for dissemination of ideas/experiences/researches/innovative works.
• Action research/ studies/innovation by teacher educators (DIET faculty and others).
5. Developing need based Materials:
• Developing training modules for different subjects of school education for organizing various PSTE/ISTE training programmes.
• Workshop for designing and developing various support materials (TLEs/TLMs/CAL/ICT/Print/Audio/Video materials, reference books/journals/resource materials/teachers manual, etc.
• Various need based materials on different subjects for children/teachers/teacher educators related to new curriculum (school education/teacher education) and textbooks.
• Orientation/training to stake holders (Teachers Educators/Teachers/BRCs/CRCs/Master Trainers, etc.) on material development.