Abstract

The present research paper is based upon a survey conducted upon pre-service teachers and teacher educators. The survey was conducted online. The purpose of this study was to comprehend the nuances related to the internship program during online mode and to explore the challenges of the internship program in teacher education as well as to understand its effectiveness. An internship in any professional course plays a significant role as it tries to strengthen the practical understanding of the interns. The Acharya Rammurti Committee (1990), in its review of the National Policy of Education (1986), highlighted that the internship for teacher training should be based on the primary value of actual field experience in a realistic situation and developing the teaching skills by practice over a period of time. Subsequently, an internship during the teacher education program became mandatory, as it provides an opportunity to integrate the theoretical knowledge in a real classroom situation. However, due to the outbreak of Novel Coronavirus-19, the academic institutions were compelled to choose different modes to complete the internship program. Since such a situation was never encountered before by the world of academia, therefore, it was pertinent to understand internships in the above-mentioned contexts. The result of the survey suggests that even though the situation was encountered for the first time, the internship process was smoothly done through different modes so as to achieve the prime objectives of the internship program. Though there were some challenges also, such as non-availability of participants, as even the schools were closed and online classes in many schools were not taking place; less classroom activity; less support from mentors due to network instability; less hands-on experience; teaching students with masks without uncovering faces; and so on.

Keywords: Teacher Education, School Education, Internship, Apprenticeship