Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and Teacher Change in India and South Asian Nations: An Analysis of Literature and Policy Documents

Abstract

Countries in South Asia have been attempting to move forward from concerns of access and enrolment toward improving student learning, and India is no exception. This chapter follows the premise that if student learning has to improve, teachers in India and South Asian nations need to be supported by strong professional development programmes. The chapter’s main aim is to investigate the current status of teacher professional development in India through a review of policy documents and literature. Using an interpretive approach, the chapter explains that in India factors namely ‘centralized bureaucratic forces’, ‘power’ and ‘cultural/community values’ pose challenges to school reforms thereby leading to disparity in policy rhetoric and policy achievement. The chapter further scrutinizes how these factors influence school reforms in other countries of South Asia namely Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Nepal. The chapter offers suggestions for teacher development in India and other South Asian countries by recommending school-based approaches ’to teacher training, offering incentives to teachers, devising career progression charts and developing a teacher development policy framework.