Continuous Professional Development: A Policy Analysis In Indian Perspective

Abstract

Teaching is a profession that prepares students for other professions. Teachers are the most important component in the education system to maintain the quality of the teaching-learning process. Teachers' professional development is one of the vital parameters of quality improvement. They must be updated with research and innovations in their concerned discipline. Updating knowledge and acquiring new skills and competencies beyond their initial training comes under professional development. Professional development of teachers has been one of the major concerns of all the commissions and policies on education since independence in India. Although, it is confined to in-service teacher education (INSET) in all the policy documents and commissions before the latest policy on education i.e., National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. NEP 2020 placed teachers at the center of reforms and recommendations concerning pedagogy, assessment, and professional development. It highlighted the term 'Continuous Professional Development (CPD)’ and recommended 50 hours of CPD opportunities for teachers and head teachers. According to the guidelines on CPD “The professional development of teachers is a lifelong learning process, which starts from initial teacher education phase and continues till their retirement”. The objective to develop this paper is to present the analysis of educational policies concerning professional development from independence to the latest policy on education. This article includes the concept of CPD, policy analysis, and major recommendations and implementations of policies concerning CPD.