VTU plans college to produce class-ready engg teachers

Countrys first staff training college for technical education to be set up in Davangere

The Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) is planning to set up the country’s first staff training college for technical education, in the city.

VTU is doing the ground work for the college, which will go a long way in addressing the concern that teachers in engineering colleges are recruited straight out of college and hence lack the necessary quality.

This is in stark contrast to the recruitment of only those having completed DEd, BEd and MEd courses for teaching in primary and high schools as also colleges.

These graduates are endowed with practical knowledge of teaching and they are given hands-on experience in teaching in any of the schools.

The varsity has purchased a site at the Karnataka Housing Board Colony in the city and it plans to construct a building for the staff training college at a cost of Rs 15 crore to Rs 20 crore. Work on the building is expected to start soon.

 The college will be equipped with an auditorium, an audio visual studio and teaching rooms.

“Today’s teachers lack the necessary skills for teaching and are deprived of the right guidance to shape up as effective teachers. It is observed that the teachers are taking classes with the help of old notes.

The proposed college will address this dire lack of training for budding teachers,” Prof Maheshappa, Vice-Chancellor of VTU.

It will be made mandatory for those recruited as teachers in engineering colleges to undergo training in the staff training college. The rule will be implemented from June-July this year. 

Till the completion of the construction of a new building for the college, training will be provided at the University BDT College, belonging to VTU, for a period of eight to 10 weeks.

Using state-of-the-art teaching tools, attracting students’ attention and improving teaching skills will be among the various components of the training to be imparted to the would-be engineering teachers, through experts in the field.

Letters would be written to all engineering colleges, asking them to recruit only those with certificates from the college as lecturers.

A committee of experts - headed by G M Dhananjaya, technical director of the JSS Mahavidyapeetha, Mysore - has been tasked with framing the curriculum for the staff training college. The committee will submit its report by the end of this month.

The report will be tabled at the VTU syndicate meeting for approval, Maheshappa said.