Abstract
Education is a process of transforming humans into socially productive individuals. The teacher are the backbone of education and who is a knowledge repository who propagates knowledge to society and is called a ‘Guru’ with great regard for shaping children through their experience of knowledge. One popular Sanskrit phrase asserts that “Matha (Mother), Pitha (Father), and Guru (Teacher) – all are my gods,” expressing the significance of honoring the teacher, where the teacher serves as the children’s second parent. The teacher’s role extends beyond teaching to encompass an assortment of responsibilities, such as playing the role of social reformer, national builder, guide, counselor, and so on. Furthermore, teaching is one of the noblest and the mother of all other professions. Producing such a distinctive, responsible, and dedicated teacher is a challenging task in the teacher education program. Nowadays, due to modern technology, more departments have been emerged and students seek employability with mono or multi-disciplinary skills along with 21st-century knowledge. This prioritizes the generation of multidisciplinary teachers who cater to the need for quality education in the 21st century. Based on this reflection, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has proposed the Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP). The pilot version of ITEP is currently being implemented at the Institute of Eminence (IoE), Institutions of National Importance (IoNI), and Central and State Universities. This article asserts that ITEP strengthens graduates’ professional employability along with 21st-century skills which will be attire and adornment for future teachers.
Keywords: Dual Major System, 21st-Century Skills, Employability, Holistic Education, ITEP, NEP-2020.