The government has said that there is an urgent need to improve the quality of teachers to meet challenges in the 21st century. Human Resource Development minister Kapil Sibal stated this while addressing the two-day International Policy Dialogue Forum on Teachers for Eduction for All in New Delhi today.

Observing that there is no system in place for life-long learning, he emphasized that entire process of teaching needs to be redefined. He said, the focus should be on teaching beyond texbooks in class rooms to prepare students for challenges in the age of information technology and communication. Mr Sibal also stressed the need to create a pool of quality teachers to promote their exchange between countries.

Touching upon the issue of non-uniformity in recruitment, salary and post-retirement benefits for teachers, Mr Sibal urged the states to come up with attractive incentives to motivate teachers into teaching profession. Terming children as the capital asset of a nation, the minister opined that quality training and education should be the focus of investment.

Mr Sibal, said that to produce quality teachers in a diverse country like India, the entire education system should be able to create modules that fit into diverse environments. The minister said globalisation of education can become a reality in the 21st century and for that to happen, inequality and discrimination need to be done away with. He called for bringing about equality of opportunities for quality teachers in schools and colleges.