The ministry of Ayush is planning an entry-level exam for new teachers of alternative medicine streams — Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy — to ensure quality of teaching and research.
“This will be a sort of eligibility test for new Ayush teachers. A candidate may be a good doctor but not necessarily a good teacher, and this test will check th eir knowledge and aptitude,” said Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, secretary, Ayush.
India has an estimated 18,000 Ayush teachers, which includes about 5,000 teachers for homoeopathy, besides an estimated 30,000 Yoga teachers.
In a move to benefit more than 4,000 post graduate students of Ayush streams each year, all teachers will also be assigned a unique verification code to track their attendence.
“We are trying to bring in quality and transparency in our education system,” said Vaidya Kotecha, adding that a committee under the chairmanship of Niti Aayog vice-chairman is examining the working of regulatory bodies such as central council of Indian Medicine and homoeopathy to suggest suitable reforms..
