{
  "id": 1491725,
  "title": "Teacher quality rests on competence, empathy: Pralhad Joshi at NCTE foundation day",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/teacher-quality-rests-on-competence-empathy-pralhad-joshi-at-ncte",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-17T13:49:49.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hindustan Times",
    "slug": "hindustan-times",
    "url": "https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/teacher-quality-rests-on-competence-empathy-pralhad-joshi-at-ncte-foundation-day-101786974589408.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Monday, Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi emphasized during the National Council for Teacher Education's (NCTE) 32nd Foundation Day celebrations that the quality of education is contingent upon the competence and empathy of teachers. This sentiment was conveyed in a video message, underscoring the pivotal role teachers play in implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and shaping a \"Viksit Bharat\" by 2047.\n\nJoshi further highlighted the significance of the four-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) in teacher preparation, which will become the sole recognized qualification for school teacher recruitment starting in 2030. The NCTE has expanded ITEP from a pilot program to more than 409 institutions offering over 24,000 seats this academic year, up from 3,950 seats in the 2023-24 pilot.\n\nWhen discussing the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in teacher education, Joshi advocated for its responsible use to enhance teaching while preserving the essential human values. He stressed that AI should augment pedagogy without replacing the crucial human aspects of education.\n\nThe NCTE's foundation day celebrations, held at Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida, coincided with a national conference on ITEP, themed \"Reflection, Reform and Future Readiness.\" Over 400 ITEP institutions joined the event via a hybrid format. In her welcome address, NCTE Chairperson Professor Pankaj Arora provided an overview of the Council's transformative journey and its ongoing commitment to establishing a robust teaching ecosystem aligned with national priorities.\n\nSeveral new initiatives were unveiled during the event. NCTE introduced the MITRA and PUSHTI mobile applications under the National Mission for Mentoring (NMM) and National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST), respectively. These applications aim to bolster teacher mentoring and continuous professional development. The organization also released implementation handbooks for MITRA and PUSHTI, publications on \"AI in Teacher Education\" and \"Pedagogy in Higher Education,\" and new volumes of its journals \"Anweshika\" and the \"Indian Journal of Teacher Education.\" Additionally, the Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK) at NCTE headquarters was inaugurated and made operational.",
  "summary": "Pralhad Joshi addressed the National Council for Teacher Education’s (NCTE) 32nd Foundation Day celebrations",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}