Bachelor

of
Elementary Education

1994-2014
Celebrating 20 successful years of
B.El.Ed.

Faculty of Education
University of Delhi
What is B.El.Ed. ?
The Bachelor of Elementary Education
(B.El.Ed.) Programme is a four-year
integrated professional degree programme
of Elementary Teacher Education offered
after the senior secondary level (class XII or
equivalent). This is a bilingual programme,
conceptualized by the Maulana Azad Centre
for Elementary and Social Education
(MACESE) of the Faculty of Education,
University of Delhi. Launched in the
academic year 1994-95, the programme is
an attempt towards fulfilling the need for
professionally qualified elementary school
teachers. The B.El.Ed. Programme is
designed to integrate the study of different
disciplines to build a comprehensive
understanding of the students about
e d u c a t i o n . T h e p r o g r a m m e o ff e r s
compulsory and optional theory courses,
compulsory practicum courses and an
intense school internship experience. The
B.El.Ed. programme is currently being
offered in the following eight women colleges
of the University of Delhi:
Aditi Mahavidyalaya
Gargi College
Institute of Home Economics
Jesus & Mary College
Lady Shri Ram College for Women
Mata Sundri College
Miranda House
Shyama Prasad Mukherji College
Approximately 60-70 percent of graduates
are placed in government or private
elementary schools as teachers. Some
private schools offer B.El.Ed. graduates a
TGT scale. More recent recruitments based
on contractual appointments in schools of
Directorate of Education, in Delhi offer a
consolidated salary of TGT equivalence to
B.El.Ed. graduateA quick appraisal of the
data gathered using email and social
networking sites of about 304 graduates
indicates that 90 percent have qualified the
Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET).
B.El.Ed. graduates have found opportunities
for teaching in departments of elementary
education in the University of Delhi and in
District Institutes of Educational Research
and Training (DIETs) and in private
institutions offering teacher education
programmes. Currently, all the eight colleges
offering B.El.Ed. and the Central Institute of
Education have at least one member of the
faculty who is a B.El.Ed. graduate. Thus,
both, professional and academic
opportunities are available to students
graduating with a B.El.Ed. degree.

Strengths of B.El.Ed.
B.El.Ed. interns are able to create a positive
atmosphere and develop a good rapportwith
their school students, track their students'
development and are responsive to children.
Several Principals and school administrators
attribute this sensitivity to the developmental
and socio-cultural perspectives that students
engage with in the first three years of
programme. Classrooms designed by
B.El.Ed. students during internship are of
distinctive quality and offer immense scope
for learning. B.El.Ed. is perhaps the only
undergraduate degree of the University of
Delhi that is accepted for admission into
“ Due to this programme, a new
and creative person takes birth…
post-graduate studies in a variety of Other courses give knowledge, but
disciplines. Approximately 30 percent this course makes a fully-functional
graduates pursue post-graduate studies and
research in education thereby contributing to
person… I can feel the change in me,
the generation of knowledge in education in
“
in my life, and in my attitudes
the Indian context. towards life. 1
Career Options
Some of the professional and academic
opportunities available for the B.El.Ed.
graduates:
• Teaching in elementary schools (Classes I
to VIII):
B.El.Ed. graduates are eligible for
appointment in MCD / NDMC /
Sarvodaya Vidyalayas in Delhi as well as
in Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya
Vidyalayas all across India, and in private
schools.
• Leading the elementary school systems in
various capacities.
• Teaching and research in elementary
education in the government and non-
government sectors.
• Post-graduate and research studies in
education and allied disciplines.
• Serving as teacher-educators in various
State Institutes and University
Departments/ Colleges offering training in
elementary/ secondary education.

2
Programme Outline

*Options will be offered as per the availability in respective colleges. Grand Total 2200
Courses of Study: Experiences Contemporary India is of importance in the
first year as students are able to develop a
and opportunities critical perspective on political, economic
The four years of the B.El.Ed. programme and social issues in the early stages of
has a predominant focus on what and how to preparing to be a teacher. This course
teach and through this, students develop a provides a rigorous frame within which to
critical perspective about various curriculum, understand school education. The course on
pedagogical and contextual issues. Alumni Gender and Schooling provides students a
and current students shared that Self- new perspective of looking at issues of
Development workshops and the Human gender within and outside of formal
Relations and Communication course and schooling. The strength of the B.El.Ed.
Theatre opportunities have helped them to programme lies in the multi-disciplinary
develop confidence in themselves and the nature of the faculty. Holding expertise in
desire to make a difference. various backgrounds, including social
sciences, sciences, language, and
One of the main objectives of the Core
mathematics, the faculty provides for a
courses in the B.El.Ed. is that students revisit
robust engagement on issues of
their content knowledge, examine their
contemporary concern and relevance.
misconceptions about various concepts and
then work to reach at scientifically correct
understanding. This opportunity helps them
realise that misconceptions are deeply
rooted and need to be addressed in the
classroom. The impact of this is observed
during school internship when students not
only identify their own misconceptions of
concepts but also explore school children's
alternate conceptions and learn to explore
children's ideas.
The pedagogy courses, for instance,
environmental studies, help students to
understand concepts in an integrated
perspective - scientific, historical, and socio-
political. This integrated understanding is
reflected during teaching, which school
children find very engaging. The classrooms
designed by B.El.Ed. students offer scope for
discussion and hands on experience, a
process they have undergone themselves as
“ The course of Child
Development has taught us to
student-teachers. Specific experiences
gained through individual courses help in see things around us with the lens
forging meaningful linkages during school of reasons behind various
internship for instance, concepts engaged
with in the II year during the course behaviors. B.El.Ed. is
'Language across the Curriculum' are widely transforming us into not just
used by the IV year interns in teaching other
subjects as well. The techniques of KWL, teachers but, 'sensitive teachers'
Marginal Gloss, Advance Organizers, who know the psyche of their
Schema Activation, Concept mapping form
an integral part of social science plans as students and find greater avenues
well. The understanding of 'Content Area to break conventional ways of
Reading' techniques enables the 'Pedagogy “
of Social Science' option students to design teaching and learning with
4
the plans and activities developmentally support of theories we learn.
suitable for school students.
Life of a B.El.Ed. Student
During the programme B.El.Ed. students not
only study different subjects, but are
engaged in the study of various disciplines
and are also involved with varied academic
enrichment activities. These include
workshops, seminars, talks, visits to different
sites and much more. Self-development and
theatre workshops help students to grow and
evolve as a person and as a teacher. Group Visits to Alternative
presentations in classrooms and interaction
with leading scholars from different schools
institutions provide B.El.Ed. students with an Students in the third year of the B.El.Ed.
intellectually stimulating atmosphere. These programme visit alternative and innovative
opportunities help B.El.Ed. students in schools. The visit to alternative schools as a
critically examining theoretical frameworks practicum is aimed towards providing
and in building up their own positions and exposure to creative, innovative and
perspectives. alternative teaching practices within India.

Now let us provide you a closer look into the

life of a B.El.Ed. student...

Seminars and Workshops

Seminars and workshops are an integral
component of the B.El.Ed. programme.
During the four years, B.El.Ed. graduates
dialogue with leading educationists,
academics, thinkers and scholars from India
and abroad, thereby building critical
perspectives on aspects concerning
elementary education.

“ B.El.Ed. has made me more

empathetic by providing me an
insight into the lives of many people,
belonging to various sections of the
society. It has made me extremely
“
conscious of my thought process
and action. 5
Creative Classrooms Theatre and Craft
The B.El.Ed. programme provides a perfect Theatre and craft practicums are integral part
mix of theory and practice, as students of I and III year curriculum. The focus of these
engage with schools and children throughout practicums is to enable the students to
the duration of the programme. During the understand how theatre and craft can be
fourth year of the programme, students used as effective pedagogic tool within the
engage in creative teaching-learning classrooms.
process as part of school internship. The
internship enables them to strengthen the
theoretical understanding about the
functioning of the school, students as
learners and different pedagogic practices.

Click on the image above to see students' work

“ During the theatre, self

development workshops, we talked
and discussed about different issues
like illiteracy, sexual harassment,
problems faced by different castes
and religions. In the class we shared
different experiences, different
perspectives that served as a great
“
platform for me to think critically on
these issues.

6
Self- Development
Workshops
“ Our programme (B. El. Ed)
provides us an opportunity to
The self-development workshops have been explore different fields. It
conceptualised to facilitate the student- believes in our holistic learning
teacher's process of personal development.
The workshops aim to cover broad areas of
and our whole development, thus
awareness of: one's own strengths and we have self-development
limitations, developing sensitivity, open workshops, theatre, art and craft,
mindedness, and positive attitudes. It further “
seeks to develop the ability to communicate
physical education, storytelling
and relate with children and adults and session.
developing one's own personal aim and
vision as a teacher and as a person.

Physical Education
This component is offered in the II year of the
programme. It provides opportunities for
sports and fitness activities and makes
B.El.Ed. students understand the
significance of physical fitness and bodily-
awareness. This understanding is crucial for
“ B.El.Ed. has made me more
empathetic by providing me an
future-teachers to enable their students to
develop an attitude for leading a healthy
insight into the lives of many people, lifestyle.
belonging to various sections of the
society. It has made me extremely
“
conscious of my thought process and
action.

Academic Enrichment
Seminars, workshops, discussions, talks
and heritage walks inhabit an integral space
in the B.El.Ed. programme. Heritage walk,
for example, allows students to explore
different sites which help them to enrich their
own understanding of issues of socio-
cultural, historical and ecological relevance

7
Initiatives by Departments of Elementary Education
Newsletter of Aditi Mahavidyalaya
Click below to view the newsletter

“ B.El.Ed. provides us a
bundle of everything including
creativity, innovative, and
interesting learning
environment... We learn and
discuss those issues which are
common to everyone's daily life,
such as inequality, gender
discrimination etc. It provides us
a framework with which we can
think and see things critically
and develop our own “
understanding about it.

Newsletter of
Lady Shri Ram College for Women

“ B.El.Ed. gives every

individual their space; their
opinions and views are respected.
This programme gives us the
opportunity to criticize the
“
concepts and practices done in
society.

8
Media Reports
Teacher training:
A higher standard
B. El. Ed. students at Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi.
Started in 1994/95, the course has become a benchmark for
teacher training progammes in India. Photo: Aditya
Kapoor/www.indiatodayimages.com
In March 2012, the results of a test conducted
by the Central Board of Secondary Education
(CBSE) showed that only seven per cent of the
7.85 lakh examinees had passed. The result
was worse than the performance in the test a
year before when nine per cent cleared the
examination. And who were the people taking
the test? Not school students but teachers
aspiring for jobs in government schools.
The CBSE-conducted Central Teacher
Eligibility Test (CTET), instituted in 2011, is
mandatory under the Right to Education Act
for teachers if they want to apply for jobs in
central or state government schools, the
Kendriya Vidyalayas, and the Jawahar
Navodaya Vidyalayas. There are more than
13,800 teacher education institutes in India
churning out about 1.1 million new teachers
every year. These institutes provide either a
diploma or a bachelor's degree in education
(B.Ed.). But the results of CTET tests are
evidence enough that the quality of teacher
training is far from satisfactory.
Why is the state of affairs so dismal? "There's
a general perception that many teacher
training programmes are bogus and run by
corrupt institutions," says Padma
Sarangapani, Dean, School of Education,
Tata Institute of Social Sciences. "Recruiters
feel that B.Ed. candidates are no better than
non-B.Ed ones." Is there any institute that
stands out? "Except B.El.Ed., there's hardly
any course that fulfils the demands of
teacher education," she says. Sarangapani
is referring to Delhi University's four-year
Bachelor of Elementary Education course
Launched in 1994/95, the Bachelor of
(Retrieved from: http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/delhi-university-b.-el.-ed-programme/1/190795.html)
Elementary Education course has become a
benchmark for teacher training programmes .
Currently, eight DU colleges offer it. These
colleges have a dozen faculty members each
for the programme and a total of 350 seats,
indicating a healthy teacher-to-student ratio. A
few more colleges plan to start the course too.
The programme has a healthy mix of practical
sessions and theory, and also teaches
behavioural sciences. Over a four-year-long
course, the prospective teachers acquire a
wide range of skills such as in dramatics,
different crafts, classroom management,
documentation, and evaluation. Almost 60 per
cent of the course content consists of field
activities. For example, in the final year, the
students go through four months of
internship at a school. In contrast, a typical
B.Ed. student, takes just 40 classes of 30 to
35 minutes each during her one-year course.
"By providing such limited practical
exposure, the other courses restrict students
from getting the sense of a real classroom
and school environment," says Poonam
Batra, Professor of Education at the Central
Institute of Education, Delhi University.
Batra says there is little difference in the
methods taught to B.Ed. students for teaching
different subjects. "B.El.Ed. students get the
opportunity to study the subject matter and
enquire into it to develop appropriate
pedagogic approaches," she says.
Sarangapani agrees that the dominant
teaching models are outdated. "B.El.Ed. has
a contemporary approach to teaching. The
entire course is developed indigenously,
which makes it easy for students to
understand and relate with," she says. Its
students endorse her view.
"Besides pedagogical training, the course
allows a variety of work experience with
children within and outside elementary
schools," says Kanishka, who uses only one
name and is a final-year student at Miranda
House in Delhi University's North campus.
Ashtami Rajan, a 2011 graduate who now
teaches at Delhi Public School in Raj Nagar,
Ghaziabad, says B.El.Ed. students are not
required to mug up facts or theories developed
by educationists. "Students develop their own
perspectives on education," she says. That,
perhaps, is the need of the hour. 9
 B.El.Ed
1994-2014

Aimed at creating quality

Elementary school teachers

Faculty of Education
University of Delhi