Readiness for Education 4.0: Pandemic as the Wakeup Call for Teacher Education Institutions

Abstract

Change has been the unwritten yet self-evident law of nature and society. However, in recent times the pace, magnitude, complexities and dimensions of these changes got accelerated and intensified. The changes can be discerned in each sphere of our lives including the domain of learning and education sector. Scholars have identified four stages of Education from 1.0 to 4.0. In each of these four phases, all the characteristics change including institutional arrangement, content organisation, learning orientation, technology, teaching-learning methods, and role of students and teachers. Transition in to Education 4.0 necessitates a transformation in teacher education institutions (TEIs) because in these institutions teachers and educational administrators of future are being prepared. This paper looks at the 2 year B. Ed. curriculum prescribed by Himachal Pradesh University in 2015 and assesses the extent to which this curriculum can prepare graduates for future. The paper observes that teachers being prepared currently are not ready for roles and responsibilities they are expected to shoulder in the changed and changing scenario. It further observes that many aspects of current system of teacher education actually stand at Education 1.0 and as such requires responsive curriculum, unflinching commitment and unprecedented mobilization of resources in order to cover the long path in order to transition into 4.0 successfully. The current pandemic has potential to become a pretext for taking steps in desired direction.