NPE, POA and Inception of District Institute of Education and Training (DIET)

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            A new National Policy on Education (NPE) was adopted in May, 1986 by the Parliament and subsequently in August 1986, the Parliament approved a detailed Programme of Action (POA) for its implementation.

            Until the adoption of the NPE, the support in the area of elementary education was being provided by the institutions like National Council of Educational Research and Training (N.C.E.R.T) and State council of Educational Research and Training (S.C.E.R.T) at the national and state level, respectively.  In the area of adult education, the academic support was mainly provided by the Central Directorate of Adult Education at the national level, and by the State Resource Centers (SRCs) at the state level.  Below the state level, there were teacher education institutions for elementary teachers but their activities were mainly and mostly confined to pre – service teacher education.  Most of the teacher education institutions had limited role because of inadequate staff patterns, physical resources and academic resources.  Above all, these institutes have major problems like curricular structures, which were mostly out – dated.

            By the time of adoption of the NPE, both the elementary and adult education of the NPE, both the elementary and adult education system was too vast.  The support system by the state as well as the national level agencies was also not upto the mark.  The NPE and POA accordingly had given more emphasis on addition of a third tier at district levels.  Thus it became necessary to establish a ‘third tier’ at the district level in the shape of District Institutes of Education and Training (D.I.E.T.s).  A centrally sponsored scheme (CSS) of restructuring and Reorganization of Teacher Education was approved in October, 1987 as per provisions NPE on Teacher Education.  One of the five components of the scheme was establishment of DIETs.

            Draft Guidelines for implementing the DIET component were circulated to states in October, 1987 along with certain subsequent circulars, formed the basis for its implementation so far.  Central assistances had been sanctioned under the scheme for setting up a total of 216 DIETs in the country.