Framing Teachers in National Education Policy and in the Popular Media

Teacher Education in India’s National Education Policy 2020: Knowledge Traditions, Global Discourses and National Regulations

“…It problematises the Eurocentric theories of teaching–learning that underlie these global development reforms aimed at improving literacy and numeracy achievement by addressing the ‘learning crises at the primary school level. Other studies have critically analysed how global policy action has impinged upon not only the pedagogic contexts but also on the professional status of teachers and legitimacy of a prolonged and intense TE (Kumar et al, 2001; Sayed & Sarangapani, 2020; Sayed et al, 2020). These studies support the view that global TE reforms are based on decontextualised models and do not posit critical agency in teachers and visualise them as mere instructors, often aiming to teacher-proof the curriculum (Gutierrez & McLaren, 2016; Hordern & Tatto, 2018).…”

“…The conception of a teacher as a guru has been discussed and debated in relevant literature (Kumar, 2014; Sarangapani, 2021; Sayed & Sarangapani, 2020). Sayed and Sarangapani (2020) explore indigenous concepts like guru as being common in the South Asian region, often representing a wide variety of pedagogues engaged in transmission of cultural, religious, spiritual, science, and craft-based knowledge forms. These cultural concepts are generally perceived as symbolic of pedagogic role and agency of teachers.…”

“…There are possibilities of alternate ways of contextualising the concept of guru that enable thinking about culturally appropriate and indigenous TE (Sayed & Sarangapani, 2020). Exploration of such possibilities may support the development of a non-Eurocentric or decolonial perspective on TE—an underdeveloped approach that is much needed in the context of GEP reforms (Viruru & Perskey, 2019).…”