Authors:

Suman Mazumdar, Sarita Kumari

Abstract:

The Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP), introduced under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, seeks to transform teacher education in India by integrating disciplinary knowledge with pedagogical training in a four-year dual-major degree. While the programme promises a holistic, stage-specific approach aligned with the 5+3+3+4 school structure, this paper critically evaluates its structural design, curricular coherence, and implementation feasibility. Drawing upon policy documents, curriculum frameworks, and emerging scholarly critiques, the paper highlights both opportunities—such as integrated learning, improved practicum exposure, and cost-effectiveness—and significant challenges, including disciplinary dilution, infrastructural gaps, and limited career flexibility. The analysis foregrounds conceptual contradictions in ITEP's vision and exposes practical challenges related to institutional readiness, performance-based assessment, and community engagement. Furthermore, the paper questions the implicit critique of existing teacher competencies embedded within the ITEP design and reflects on the ethical implications of its evaluative framework. It concludes with actionable suggestions for ensuring meaningful interdisciplinary integration, improving pedagogical depth, strengthening practicum, and expanding student agency within the programme. The study argues for a phased, context-sensitive rollout of ITEP with sustained financial and institutional support, warning that without strategic reform and adequate investment, the policy’s transformative aspirations may remain unfulfilled.

Keywords:

Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP), NEP 2020, Teacher Education Reform, Dual-Major Structure, Pedagogy and Practice, Curriculum and Assessment, Institutional Implementation, Multidisciplinary Integration

Vol & Issue:

VOL.17, ISSUE No.4, December 2025