Explained: What is Delhi Teachers University? 

Teachers are said to be nation builders as they prepare students to take on higher responsibilities towards the society and nation at large. Catering to this need, the Delhi government launched Delhi Teachers University on March 4 with the goal of preparing well-trained and highly skilled teachers. The varsity, which will provide B.Ed and M.Ed programmes, among other teacher training courses, was inaugurated by deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia at Outram Lane in Mukherjee Nagar, New Delhi, two months after the Delhi Teachers University Bill was approved. Read more about it below. 

What is the Delhi Teachers University all about? 
The Delhi Teachers University is being touted as one of the dream projects of Delhi chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal. Professor Dhananjay Joshi has been appointed the vice-chancellor of the University. The deputy chief minister, referred to teachers as "nation builders," saying the government was dedicated to developing such individuals and that the Delhi Teachers University would set new standards for teacher education. Sharing more on the development, Sisodia has been quoted saying in a series of tweets, “It gives me great pleasure to inaugurate the Delhi Teachers University. This is Delhi’s first of its kind university that aims to prepare well-trained and highly qualified teachers. This government aims to inspire today’s students to become tomorrow’s teachers.” He further added, “These days, it is common in Indian families that if a child is good in mathematics, then parents encourage her to prepare for IIT; if a child is better in history, then she will be asked to prepare for the civil services. But children are never encouraged to become teachers. That is the reason why students look at teaching as the last resort. The Delhi Teachers University aims to change this mindset.” 

What is the objective of setting up Delhi Teachers University? 

As per media reports, there is a shortage of nearly 11 lakh teachers in India. It is this gap between the educators and the educational institutions that the Delhi Teachers University aims to fulfill. After Class 12, the varsity will offer new-age integrated education programmes such as BA-B.Ed, B.Sc-B.Ed and focus on fundamental and applied research in the field of education by collaborating with national and international organizations. It is hoped that teacher-trainees in the university will spend 30-50% of their time in schools and get hands-on learning experience from the very first month of their course. 

While prestigious engineering and medical schools such as the IITs, IIMs, and AIIMS were established decades ago, no institution was established to train India's teachers. Hence, a decision to set-up a teacher’s university was taken by the Delhi government.  Representatives from the university will visit schools in Delhi as part of the outreach effort to encourage students to pursue teaching career as a means of becoming nation builders.