Preparing Future Teachers for Socio-Emotional Learning: Readiness and Awareness Among Pre-Service Teachers in the Context of NEP 2020 And Viksit Bharat @2047

Socio-emotional learning (SEL) is increasingly treated as a core element of holistic education, and India's National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 identifies it as a critical aspect of student development.Whether teacher preparation converts this policy emphasis into readiness for classroom enactment remains unclear.This cross-sectional survey examined SEL readiness among 178 B.Ed. pre-service teachers (Semester I, n = 85; Semester III, n = 93) using the 36-item, five-point Pre-Service Teachers' Socio-Emotional Learning Readiness Scale (PST-SELR), which has six six-item dimensions.Analyses comprised descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha, paired and Welch t-tests with effect sizes and confidence intervals, Pearson correlations and hierarchical regression, with Holm correction and sensitivity analyses.Internal consistency was good for the total scale (α = .87)but modest for dimensions (α = .61-.78), depressed by six reverse-worded items that were essentially uncorrelated with the rest of the scale.All dimensions fell in the "high" band (M = 3.62-4.06).The expected pattern of awareness exceeding classroom-integration readiness was not supported: Awareness (M = 3.62) was marginally lower than Integration (M = 3.73; Δ = -0.11,95% CI [-0.19, -0.04], dz = -0.22),and this difference was negligible after removing reverse-worded items or duplicate records.Dispositional dimensions (Future-Ready Orientation, Professional Practice) scored highest, and teaching self-efficacy was the strongest correlate of integration readiness (β = .62).A different gap did emerge between self-rated readiness and reported exposure and enactment: 80% rated their integration readiness as high, yet only 43% had heard of SEL, 17% had attended related training, and 24% of those with teaching-practice experience had used an SEL activity.The findings suggest that teacher education should move from awareness-oriented exposure towards modelled, supervised and assessed SEL practice, and that future studies should pair selfreports with observed enactment.Implications for NEP 2020 and Viksit Bharat @2047 are discussed.