Role of NEP 2020 in Promoting Technology in Teacher Education

Akanksha Patil (Mentee)

Dr. Pratima Mishra

Associate Professor (Mentor)

H. G. M Azam College of Education

Dr P. A. Inamdar University, Pune, Maharashtra, India

Introduction

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is the first education policy of the 21st century in India, replacing the National Policy on Education of 1986 (modified 1992). It treats the teacher as the centre of reform and treats technology as a tool that must reach the classroom through the teacher, not around the teacher.

Teacher education sits where these two ideas meet. A policy can install smart boards and portals, but learning changes only when teachers know when, why and how to use them. NEP 2020 therefore places technology inside initial teacher preparation, continuous professional development (CPD), mentoring and the governance of teacher education.

This practical critically analyses how NEP 2020 promotes technology in teacher education. It examines the policy provisions, the schemes that implement them, the evidence available up to 2025-26, and the gaps that still limit their impact.

Objectives of the practical work

1. To study the provisions of NEP 2020 related to technology in pre-service and in-service teacher education.

2. To understand the theoretical frameworks behind technology integration in teacher preparation.

3. To examine national initiatives such as DIKSHA, NISHTHA, SWAYAM, NETF and ITEP.

4. To collect facts and data on digital readiness of schools and teachers in India.

5. To critically analyse the strengths, limitations and equity concerns of this policy direction.

6. To suggest educational implications and recommendations for teacher education institutions.

Concept and theoretical background

Teacher education is the set of policies, programmes and practices that prepare teachers before service (pre-service) and keep developing them during service (in-service). Technology in teacher education has two meanings: technology as a subject teachers must learn (digital literacy, e-content creation, online teaching), and technology as a medium through which teachers are trained (MOOCs, DIKSHA courses, virtual mentoring).

Key theoretical frameworks

• TPACK (Mishra and Koehler, 2006): Effective teaching with technology needs Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge working together. A teacher who knows the software but not the pedagogy, or the subject but not the tool, cannot integrate technology meaningfully.

• SAMR model (Puentedura, 2006): Technology use moves through four levels: Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition. Most Indian classrooms still operate at the first two levels, for example a PDF replacing a printed textbook.

• Constructivism and connectivism: Learners build knowledge actively and, in the digital age, through networks of people and resources. Teacher communities on DIKSHA or WhatsApp are practical examples of connectivist learning.

• UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (2018): Describes three stages of teacher growth: knowledge acquisition, knowledge deepening and knowledge creation.

• Adult learning (andragogy, Knowles): Teachers learn best when training is self-directed, relevant to their work and built on experience. NEP's idea of teacher-chosen CPD reflects this.

Figure 1 · TPACK framework (adapted from Mishra and Koehler, 2006)

In teacher education, NEP's aim is the centre of Figure 1: a teacher who can choose the right tool for a particular concept and a particular group of learners.

Position of NEP 2020

NEP 2020 does not adopt one framework by name, but its stance is clear: technology should aid teachers, not replace them. Chapter 5 (Teachers), Chapter 15 (Teacher Education), Chapter 23 (Technology Use and Integration) and Chapter 24 (Online and Digital Education) together form the policy base examined in this practical.

 Need and significance

India has the scale problem no other country faces in quite the same form. In 2024-25 the number of school teachers crossed 1 crore for the first time (1,01,22,420 teachers across about 14.7 lakh schools, UDISE+ 2024-25). Training this workforce only through face-to-face programmes is slow and costly; technology is the only route to reach every teacher regularly.

Why technology in teacher education is needed

• Scale and reach: Face-to-face NISHTHA training covered about 17.7 lakh teachers in eight months before COVID-19 stopped it; the online version on DIKSHA continued to the remaining teachers.

• Continuous professional development: NEP 2020 (para 5.15) expects every teacher to complete at least 50 hours of CPD each year. Online modules make this target practical.

• Changing classrooms: Schools with computers rose from 38.5% (2019-20) to 64.7% (2024-25). Teachers must be ready to use what is being installed.

• Pandemic lesson: COVID-19 closures (from March 2020) showed that teachers without digital skills could not continue teaching.

• 21st-century learners: Students need digital literacy, coding, media literacy and critical thinking; teachers cannot teach what they have not learned.

• Inclusive education: Assistive technology, Indian Sign Language (ISL) content and accessible e-books help teachers serve children with special needs.

Significance for teacher education

The significance lies in a shift from one-time training to lifelong, teacher-driven learning. Technology gives teacher educators data on who is trained and in what, gives teachers choice of courses, and links rural teachers to the same resources as urban ones.

Role and applications of technology under NEP 2020

NEP 2020 uses technology in four routes across a teacher's career, supported by national digital infrastructure (Figure 2).

Figure 2 · technology routes into teacher education under NEP 2020

1 Pre-service teacher education. The policy makes the 4-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) the minimum degree qualification for school teachers by 2030 (Chapter 15). ITEP and a revised National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education (NCFTE) are meant to build ICT use, e-content creation and digital pedagogy into the core of teacher preparation, not as a single optional paper.

2 In-service CPD. Para 5.15 asks every teacher to complete at least 50 hours of CPD a year, largely through modular online courses. DIKSHA ("One Nation, One Digital Platform") hosts NISHTHA and state courses, and certificates are recorded on the teacher's profile.

3 Mentoring and online teaching. Chapter 15 proposes a National Mission for Mentoring, where senior and retired faculty guide teachers, including through online mentoring. Chapter 24 states that teachers need suitable training to become effective online educators.

4 Standards, governance and inclusion. The National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST, para 5.20) link career progression to competencies, including digital ones. Para 23.3 creates the National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) to advise on the use of technology in education, including teacher training. The policy also asks for assistive devices and technology-based tools for children with disabilities, which requires trained teachers.

5 Practical applications in teacher education institutions

Area	Technology application
Teaching of pedagogy	Flipped classroom, video lessons, simulations, virtual labs
Practice teaching	Micro-teaching recorded on video for self and peer review
Assessment	Online quizzes, e-portfolios, rubrics on LMS platforms
Research (M.Ed.)	Online databases, reference managers, survey tools, data analysis software
Communication	LMS (Moodle, Google Classroom), teacher WhatsApp and Telegram groups
Inclusion	Screen readers, text-to-speech, ISL videos, AAC apps

Benefits and educational possibilities

The main benefit is that professional development no longer depends on where a teacher works or when a training camp is held.

For student-teachers (pre-service)

• Hands-on experience of digital pedagogy before entering the classroom.

• Video-based micro-teaching allows repeated practice and self-reflection.

• Exposure to open educational resources (OER), e-PG Pathshala, SWAYAM courses and virtual labs.

For in-service teachers

• Anytime, anywhere learning through mobile-friendly DIKSHA courses, many of which work on low bandwidth.

• Courses in regional languages, which suits a multilingual country.

• Recognition of learning through certificates that count towards 50 CPD hours.

• Peer networks that reduce professional isolation, especially in single-teacher and remote schools.

For teacher education institutions and the system

• Blended and online modes let institutions reach more learners with the same faculty.

• Data dashboards show which teachers, districts and topics need support.

• Faster rollout of new reforms (for example FLN under NIPUN Bharat through NISHTHA 3.0).

Educational possibilities ahead

• Artificial intelligence (AI) tools for lesson planning, feedback on teaching videos and personalised CPD pathways.

• Virtual and augmented reality classroom simulations for practice teaching.

• E-portfolios linked to NPST competencies for career progression.

• Assistive and adaptive technology training so every teacher can support inclusive classrooms.

Critical analysis

NEP 2020 gives technology in teacher education a strong and balanced policy direction, but implementation has moved faster on platforms and certificates than on classroom practice, infrastructure and equity.

1 Facts and evidence

Figure 3 · UDISE+ 2019-20, 2023-24 and 2024-25 (Ministry of Education; Economic Survey 2024-25)

The infrastructure trend is clearly positive: schools with internet rose from 22.3% to 63.5% in five years. But in 2024-25 over one-third of schools still had no computer or internet, and only about 58% had computers that were functional for teaching. Other evidence collected for this analysis:

Indicator	Evidence
Teacher workforce	1,01,22,420 teachers in 2024-25, first time above 1 crore (UDISE+)
NISHTHA reach	About 17.7 lakh teachers trained face-to-face before COVID-19; about 1.4 crore NISHTHA certificates issued on DIKSHA
DIKSHA accessibility	3,520 ISL videos and a 10,000-word ISL dictionary
ITEP rollout	42 institutions recognised in 2023-24 and 22 in 2024-25; 77 HEIs listed for NCET 2025 admissions
CPD target	At least 50 hours per teacher per year (NEP para 5.15)

2 Strengths of the NEP approach

• Teacher-centred view of technology. NEP repeatedly says technology should support, not replace, the teacher. This avoids the "gadget-first" approach of earlier ICT schemes.

• Coherent policy chain. Pre-service (ITEP, NCFTE), in-service (50-hour CPD), mentoring, standards (NPST) and advisory bodies (NETF) are linked in one document.

• Scale achieved. DIKSHA-NISHTHA is one of the largest teacher training efforts in the world, and it reached teachers during school closures.

• Language and inclusion. Multilingual and ISL content respond to Indian diversity.

3 Weaknesses and gaps

• Completion is not competence. CPD is counted in hours and certificates. There is little evidence yet on whether teaching practice or student learning changed after online courses.

• Infrastructure precedes pedagogy. A teacher trained in digital pedagogy cannot apply it in a school with no working device or internet.

• Slow pre-service reform. ITEP is still in pilot mode in a limited number of institutions, while most teachers continue to graduate through 2-year B.Ed. programmes of uneven quality.

• Teacher educators left behind. The policy trains school teachers at scale, but faculty of teacher education institutions receive less structured digital upskilling.

• Top-down design. Many courses are generic and one-size-fits-all, with limited follow-up, mentoring or classroom observation.

Figure 4 · SWOT analysis of NEP 2020's technology agenda for teacher education

Figure 4 brings the strengths and gaps together: the policy design is strong, while the risks lie in infrastructure, follow-up and equity.

4 Critical view in terms of SAMR and TPACK

Most current use sits at the Substitution and Augmentation levels of SAMR: printed modules turned into videos and PDFs. NEP's intent points towards Modification and Redefinition, such as collaborative lesson study across schools or AI-supported feedback on teaching. Achieving this needs TPACK-based training, where technology is taught inside subject pedagogy rather than as a separate computer course.

Figure 5 · SAMR levels applied to teacher education

Challenges and limitations

The biggest limitation is that technology reaches teachers unevenly, so the policy risks widening the very gaps it aims to close.

Challenge	How it limits NEP's intent
Digital infrastructure gap	Over one-third of schools lacked computers or internet in 2024-25; about 94,000 schools lacked electricity
Low digital competence	Many senior teachers and teacher educators lack confidence with devices, LMS and content creation
Workload and time	Online CPD is often completed after school hours, on personal phones and data, alongside administrative duties
Certificate-driven compliance	Teachers "finish" modules to meet targets; skipping videos and guessing quizzes defeats the purpose
Weak follow-up	Little classroom observation or mentoring after training, so skills do not transfer to practice
Quality of TEIs	Many private B.Ed. colleges have weak ICT labs and faculty; ITEP covers only a small number of institutions
Content relevance	Generic national modules may not fit local languages, contexts or special education settings
Pace of change	Tools such as generative AI change faster than curricula and training modules can be revised
Funding	Devices, connectivity and maintenance need recurring budgets, which are uneven across states

Limitation of this analysis: Most outcome data available publicly relates to access and enrolment in courses. Independent studies measuring change in classroom practice after online CPD in India are still limited.

Ethical and equity considerations

NEP 2020 itself warns (Chapter 24) that online education cannot be fully beneficial until the digital divide is removed. Equity must therefore guide every technology decision in teacher education.

Equity concerns

• Digital divide: Rural, tribal, hilly and low-income areas have fewer devices and weaker connectivity. Private unaided schools are far better connected than government schools in several states.

• Gender: Women form 54.2% of school teachers (UDISE+ 2024-25) and often carry extra household responsibilities, which makes after-hours online CPD harder.

• Language: Teachers who do not work in English or Hindi need content in their own language, not machine-translated modules.

• Disability: Teachers with disabilities, and teachers of children with special needs, need accessible platforms (screen-reader support, captions, ISL) and training in assistive technology. Only 54.9% of schools had ramps with handrails in 2024-25, a reminder that physical and digital accessibility both lag.

Ethical concerns

• Data privacy: Teacher and student data on national platforms (DIKSHA, APAAR, UDISE+) must be protected under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

• Surveillance versus support: Dashboards should help teachers, not become tools to monitor and punish them.

• Academic integrity and AI: Student-teachers must learn responsible use of generative AI, including honesty about AI-assisted work and checking AI output for errors and bias.

• Screen time and well-being: Teachers should model balanced technology use for children.

• Commercial influence: EdTech companies should not shape curriculum or collect data without clear public rules.

• Cyber safety: Teachers need training in cyber hygiene, online child protection and reporting mechanisms.

Indian context and relevant policies

NEP 2020 builds on a decade of Indian ICT-in-education policy and gives it a teacher education focus. The key policies and initiatives, newest first:

Year	Policy or initiative	Relevance to teacher education and technology
2023 onwards	ITEP (NCTE), admissions through NCET	4-year dual-major teacher education in pilot mode in multidisciplinary institutions
2023	Digital Personal Data Protection Act	Governs how teacher and student data on digital platforms is handled
2021	NDEAR (National Digital Education Architecture)	Common digital backbone linking platforms, teachers and learners
2021	NISHTHA 2.0 (secondary) and 3.0 (FLN) on DIKSHA	Online CPD for secondary and foundational-stage teachers
2020	NEP 2020 (Chapters 5, 15, 23, 24)	50-hour CPD, ITEP, NPST, NETF, National Mission for Mentoring, online teacher training
2020	PM eVIDYA	Unified access to DIKSHA, SWAYAM, SWAYAM Prabha TV channels, radio and podcasts
2019	NISHTHA	Integrated teacher training, launched face-to-face and moved online during COVID-19
2018	Samagra Shiksha	Funds ICT labs, smart classrooms and teacher training in schools
2017	DIKSHA and SWAYAM	National platforms for teacher content (DIKSHA) and MOOCs, including teacher education courses (SWAYAM)
2012	National Policy on ICT in School Education	Earlier ICT competency framework for teachers
2009	NCFTE 2009 (NCTE)	Called for reflective, practice-based teacher education; limited attention to ICT

Key institutions: Ministry of Education, NCTE (regulates teacher education and ITEP), NCERT and its CIET (DIKSHA, NISHTHA, e-content), SCERTs and DIETs (state and district teacher training), and RCI (training of special educators).

Maharashtra context: SCERT Maharashtra (Pune) and DIETs run state CPD courses on DIKSHA in Marathi, while M.Ed. programmes such as ours prepare the teacher educators who will lead this change.

Examples and case studies

Case 1: NISHTHA on DIKSHA (national, in-service)

NISHTHA was launched in August 2019 as an integrated face-to-face training for about 42 lakh elementary teachers. By early 2020 it had covered about 17.7 lakh teachers and 23,137 State Resource Group members in 33 States/UTs. When COVID-19 stopped physical training, NCERT converted the modules into online courses on DIKSHA, later adding NISHTHA 2.0 (secondary), 3.0 (FLN) and 4.0 (ECCE).

Analysis: This shows technology's power of scale and continuity. The weakness is that completion certificates became the main success measure, with little follow-up in classrooms.

Case 2: ITEP pilot (national, pre-service)

NCTE recognised 42 institutions for ITEP in 2023-24 and 22 more in 2024-25, and 77 higher education institutions, including IITs, NITs and Regional Institutes of Education, were listed for NCET 2025 admissions. Placing teacher education inside multidisciplinary and technical institutions brings stronger ICT and subject expertise.

Analysis: This is the most direct NEP route to technology-ready new teachers, but its reach is still small compared to the total annual intake of B.Ed. programmes.

Case 3: Kerala's KITE (state model)

Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) combined school ICT infrastructure with large-scale teacher training using free and open-source software, converting high school classrooms into hi-tech classrooms and training teachers to use them in subject teaching.

Analysis: Kerala shows that infrastructure and teacher training must move together, and that a public, open-source approach can reduce cost and dependence on vendors.

Case 4: Technology for teachers of children with special needs

In special and inclusive education, technology is often the bridge between the child and the curriculum: AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) apps, screen readers, text-to-speech, and ISL videos such as those on DIKSHA. Teachers need hands-on training to choose and use these tools for each child's needs.

Analysis: NEP supports assistive technology, but general teacher education courses rarely give practical exposure to it. Collaboration between NCTE and RCI programmes and special schools can fill this gap.

Suggestions and recommendations

The central recommendation is to measure success by changed teaching, not by certificates issued.

↗ Figure 6 · proposed technology-supported CPD cycle for teachers

Steps 3 and 4 (highlighted) are what current online CPD mostly misses: using the learning in class and getting feedback on it.

For policy makers (MoE, NCTE, NCERT, SCERTs)

1. Link CPD hours to classroom evidence: lesson videos, e-portfolios and mentor feedback, not only quiz completion.

2. Fund devices and connectivity together with training, prioritising government schools in low-access districts.

3. Scale up ITEP faster and include a compulsory, TPACK-based digital pedagogy component in all B.Ed. and M.Ed. programmes.

4. Make the National Mission for Mentoring operational with a blended online and on-site model.

5. Issue clear national guidelines on AI use, data privacy and cyber safety in teacher education.

For teacher education institutions

1. Upskill teacher educators first; they model technology use for student-teachers.

2. Use video-based micro-teaching, flipped classrooms and e-portfolios in regular courses.

3. Develop local-language and context-specific e-content through faculty and student projects.

4. Include assistive technology and inclusive digital tools as a practical component, in partnership with special schools.

5. Encourage M.Ed. dissertations that measure the classroom impact of online CPD.

For teachers

1. Choose CPD courses based on real classroom needs, not only to complete hours.

2. Join professional learning communities to share practice.

3. Use technology critically: check sources, protect student data and use AI tools responsibly.

Educational implications

• Teacher education curricula must treat digital pedagogy as core, integrated with subject methods.

• The role of the teacher educator shifts from lecturer to facilitator, designer of learning and mentor.

• Assessment of student-teachers should include digital portfolios and technology-integrated lesson plans.

• Teacher education institutions need to become digital hubs for nearby schools, as NEP envisions for multidisciplinary institutions.

• Equity must be planned from the start, so that technology narrows rather than widens gaps between teachers and schools.

Conclusion

NEP 2020 marks a clear shift: technology in teacher education is no longer an optional computer paper but a thread running through pre-service preparation, continuous professional development, mentoring and professional standards. National platforms such as DIKSHA, NISHTHA and SWAYAM, and reforms such as ITEP, have given this vision real scale.

The critical analysis shows, however, that access and certificates have grown faster than classroom change. Over one-third of schools still lack basic digital facilities, pre-service reform is in its early pilot phase, and equity concerns of region, gender, language and disability remain. Technology will fulfil NEP's promise only when it is combined with good pedagogy (TPACK), sustained mentoring, reliable infrastructure and a strong commitment to equity. As the policy itself stresses, technology must empower the teacher, never replace the teacher.

13. References

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