Exploring teacher evaluation in India – British Council

Teacher evaluation publication launch

The British Council releases research findings on teacher evaluation policies and practices in India.

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Chennai, January 31, 2018: British Council launched a publication showcasing the results of research recently conducted on teacher evaluation policies and practices in India.

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The research involved an analysis of current policies and tools, drawing on the experience and knowledge of representatives from over 20 organisations and government agencies, all involved in teacher education projects and programmes in India. Four focus groups with teachers in Delhi, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra were also conducted, ensuring that their voices and concerns were also represented in the summary report.

 

The report concludes that there are a variety of different evaluation tools and processes being followed across the India, but there is a lack of consistency around the quality of their implementation. Furthermore, there is limited use of clear criteria to assess teaching quality: the first step to identifying these criteria is to have a shared understanding of what good teaching looks like. The tools and processes used for evaluating teachers need to be agreed with the teachers themselves, with those who conduct evaluations carefully trained to ensure fairness, transparency and useful feedback. The results of teacher evaluations need to be linked to professional development opportunities to ensure longer term development of the quality of teaching. Finally, using learner outcomes as a measurement of teaching quality is logical but problematic, given the many factors that can influence test scores. It is recommended that this is therefore used as just one of several sources of evidence to evaluate the effectiveness of a teacher.

 

The report Exploring teacher evaluation practices in India – A case studywas launched by Shri Sanjay Awasthi – Member Secretary National Council of Teacher Education, along with representatives from the British Council, the National University of Educational Planning and Administration and other education-focused organisations.

 

This case study follows on from a detailed review of the literature around teacher evaluation practices that are employed globally, written by Professor Simon Borg – Visiting Professor at the University of Leeds, UK, and Bergen University College, Norway. As Professor Borg states, ‘The quality of education that students receive is influenced by several factors, but key among these is the quality of their teachers. A significant concern for educational institutions and organisations, therefore, is how to assess and improve the quality for the teachers they employ.’

 

Mr Alan Gemmell OBE, Director, British Council India, said,‘providing a unique summary of current initiatives, tools and processes used in teacher evaluation in India, we hope to contribute to the growing conversation around this important area. By supporting teachers to reflect on current practices and continue learning and improving, we can ensure better learning outcomes from young people across the country, leading to prosperity and development for all.’

 

The publication is available for free download here:https://www.britishcouncil.in/continuing-professional-development

 

 

Notes to the editor

 

About the British Council

 

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. Wecreate friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. Using the UK’scultural resources we make a positive contribution to the countries we work with – changing lives by creatingopportunities, building connections and engendering trust.

 

We work with over 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Each year we reach over 20 million people face-to-face and more than 500 million people online, viabroadcasts and publications.

 

Founded in 1934, we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. The majority of our incomeis raised delivering a range of projects and contracts in English teaching and examinations, education anddevelopment contracts and from partnerships with public and private organisations. Eighteen per cent of ourfunding is received from the UK government.

 

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