Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha announced the initiation of a four-year BSc-BEd course at NIT, Agartala, as a pilot project in the state to provide training for aspiring teachers, according to a report by ANI. The Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP) course, launched by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), is expected to be extended to several more colleges from the next academic year.
During the 13th Legislative Assembly session, Chief Minister Saha, who also serves as the Education Minister of the state, revealed that the NIT, Agartala, is offering the BSc-BEd course this year as part of the ITEP initiative. He expressed hope that more colleges in the state would gain approval for ITEP courses in the upcoming academic year.
Addressing questions about District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) colleges, Saha mentioned that there are currently seven DIET colleges in the state, with an additional one under construction at Panisagar in North Tripura district. Plans are in place to recruit more teachers for the new college.
Saha informed the Assembly that the Finance Department has approved the filling of eight lecturer positions in DIET colleges for the financial year 2023-24, and steps are being taken to fill these positions accordingly. He also mentioned that the teaching program for the Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed.) teacher training course in the DIET College under Dhanpur Assembly is not possible in the current academic year, pending approval from the National Council for Teacher Education.
However, the newly constructed DIET building is currently being utilized by the Department of Education, SCERT for implementing various programs aimed at teaching and training in-service teachers and head teachers.
