Teacher Assistant

Teacher Assistants assist the other teachers in planning lessons, curriculum designing, and organizing classroom activities. They also help evaluate and assess the student's progress and behavior and communicate with the parents. They guide the students in the areas of improvement.

Important roles played by a Teacher Assistant in different capacities are:

• Class Instructor: Assesses the performance and behavior of each student and guides the student to be socially better; Communicates the same to the parents.
• Head Teacher: Divides the work among the other teachers; Designs the lesson plans for teachers according to the curriculum.
• Vice-Principal: Designs and manages the daily schedule of all the classes; Designates substitute teachers in case of absence of other teachers.
• Principal: Oversees the school's administration; Recruits the teachers and admits the students.

Various responsibilities taken up by a Teacher Assistant are as follows:

• Assisting the teachers in curriculum designing, lesson planning, scheduling of classes, teaching method formulating, and other works. Helping in the evaluation and assessment of the student’s progress.
• Guiding students in learning and personality development and creating a conducive classroom atmosphere to ignite learning interest in students. Rendering suggestions to students regarding the areas of improvement and strengths.
• Recording and maintaining an up-to-date record of the student’s progress, classroom behavior, scorecards, attendance log, and other important data. Documenting the reports of the extra-curricular activities and academic achievements of the students.
• Assisting teachers and students in organizing interschool or intraschool competitions, workshops, exhibitions, science fairs, student exchanges, and seminars. Scheduling games and cultural time as per the requirements.

Major educational qualifications required for Teacher Assistant are:

• Must have a Bachelor's degree in any discipline with a minimum aggregate marks of 50%.
• Should also have a Diploma in Elementary Education.
• Must clear the Teacher Eligibility Test conducted by the central or respective state boards holds value.

The career progression of a Teacher Assistant takes around seven to eleven years to reach the highest position in the organizational hierarchy, like the Director of Education. The midway positions in the pyramid include Lead Teacher, Assistant Lead Teacher, Elementary School Vice-Principal, Principal, and the Assistant Director of Education. Teacher Assistants can advance in their careers sooner with higher-level certifications and courses over some time. Multiple career opportunities are available to a Teacher Assistant while transitioning to another job. Some of the job profiles are:

• Child Psychologist: Specializes in providing therapy and support to children experiencing emotional or behavioral difficulties.
• Education Counsellor: Helps students with their academic and career choices by offering guidance and support.
• Social Services Manager: Oversees programs and initiatives aimed at improving the well-being of individuals and communities.
• Soft Skills Trainer: Delivers training sessions focused on developing interpersonal and communication skills.
• Corporate Trainer: Designs and conducts training programs to enhance employees' professional skills and performance.
• Life Coach: Assists individuals in setting goals, making positive changes, and achieving personal growth and fulfillment.
• Human Resource Manager: Manages and coordinates various HR functions, including recruitment, training, and employee relations.
• Career Counsellor: Helps individuals explore career options, make career decisions, and develop a personalized career plan.

The government is taking all the necessary steps to enhance the literacy rate of India, which is far behind the global average literacy rate. The teachers constitute 16% of the workforce involving Professors, Trainers, and Teacher Assistants.
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan upholding the Right to Education is gaining immense popularity and giving the best results. It has paved the way for more schools and needs more efficient Teacher Assistants.
Many private schools are mushrooming in the country. Around 218 million students are studying in more than 10.5 lakh K-12 schools. The positive graph of the population growth in our country is giving tremendous opportunities for Teacher Assistants in both government and private schools.