School teachers will now have to undergo a refresher course to keep abreast with the latest developments in the fast-changing world.

Government on Monday said it is working on introducing refresher courses even as teacher training programme is being revamped to create quality educationists as per the thrust laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The National Council for Teachers Education is working on a refresher programme. This is being done to ensure that teachers are navigated through a huge maze of knowledge and information developing in this fast-changing world," School Education Secretary Vrinda Sarup said at an event here.

The programme was organised by NCTE to commemorate Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary.

The government had earlier announced that two teaching degrees - B.Ed and M.Ed - would be two-year courses from the next academic session.

At a state education ministers conference last week, Sarup had said that an integrated four-year course leading to B.A and B.Ed degree will be started immediately after class XII to attract bright minds from an early age into the profession.

Those who want to be primary school teachers can get into two-year diploma in education course after class XII.

Pursuing the M.Ed programme under the open and distance learning mode has been dropped.


B.Ed, M.Ed programmes to be of 2 years duration

The Prime Minister, on December 25 last, had made a strong pitch for producing quality teachers in large numbers who could be exported, saying there is a large demand globally.

At an event in the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi, he had advocated introduction of a five-year training course after schooling for those aspiring to pursue a career in teaching.

"There is a dearth of good teachers. Even if you ask rich people who have crores of rupees, what they want, they will say they need good teachers. Even a driver says he needs good teachers," he had said.