Updated on: Friday, February 05, 2010
New Delhi: The Union Cabinet approved a proposal to amend the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) Act, 1993, to make its application vital for schools and school teachers.
The National Council for Teacher Education (Amendment) Bill, 2009, will be moved in Parliament for consideration, a Cabinet statement said, reports IANS.
Recently, the Supreme Court interpreted a law saying that the NCTE Act does not apply to schools. "Therefore, a decision has been taken to amend the NCTE Act in order to clarify that the act applies to schools, teachers and the NCTE is empowered to lay down the minimum qualifications for a person to be eligible as a teacher in schools," the statement said.
The NCTE Act came into force on July 1, 1995, with an objective to achieve planned and coordinated development of teacher education system in the country and ensure proper maintenance of norms and standards in it.
The Act mandates the NCTE to lay down guidelines on minimum qualifications for a school teacher with a view to ensure uniform quality of teaching in the schools. The NCTE has framed regulations to discharge this function which are binding on all states in the matter of appointment of teachers.