The past few years have witnessed a paradigm shift in the concept of school internship courses
in India. The earlier stipulation of practice-teaching involved teaching of a pre-specified
a number of lessons in the subjects offered by a student-teacher as teaching or methods subjects.
The NCTE Regulations, 2009 made an attempt to broaden the scope of practice-teaching by
emphasizing the importance of providing the experience of all activities and programs of the
school to the student-teachers. The NCTE Regulations, 2014 have stipulated further
strengthening of the component of ‘Field Engagement’ by prescribing a longer duration of 20
weeks for it in the elementary and secondary teacher education programs like D.El.Ed.,
B.El.Ed, B.Ed, B.A.B.Ed., and B.Sc.B.Ed. and B.Ed.-M.Ed. The ‘Field Engagement’ of 20
weeks has been further split into two parts consisting of 4 weeks and 16 weeks to be organized
in the first and second year of the Two-Years programs, and in the second, third and fourth
year of the Four-Year programs. The engagement of 16 weeks’ duration is further split into
14 weeks of school internship and 2 weeks of engagement with the field other than the school
(i.e. community engagement). Further, the total internship time is to be split between the two types
of schools at a rate of 80% and 20%.