Teacher Autonomy and Accountability

By now, you are familiar that the National Curriculum Framework (NCF, 2005), and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE, 2009), have brought about a paradigm shift in school education. These developments focus on our commitment to universalizing elementary and secondary education with the inclusion of all children in regular schools by adopting the constructivist pedagogy. To achieve these goals, teachers must be skilled, innovative, and adaptable to the requirement of every student. Imagine a classroom full of 20-30 students, each with a distinct learning style and different learning needs. A typical teaching strategy for all students would not work in such a situation. It requires adopting a particular teaching technique, even a distinct curriculum, suiting the needs and capabilities of each student. Such a situation demands teachers to be autonomous in making pedagogical choices. NCF-2005 advocated that teachers’ autonomy is essential for ensuring learning and addressing children’s diverse needs. It further emphasized that as much as the learner requires space, freedom, flexibility, and respect, the teacher also requires the same. Related to the concept of autonomy is the accountability of the teacher. The present unit addresses these issues. In this unit, we shall discuss the concept of teacher autonomy, why it is required, and how it relates to accountability.