CBSE and Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India host an orientation programme on entrepreneurship for school teachers

 

Ahmedabad: Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) came together to organise an orientation programme for school teachers on ‘Inculcating Entrepreneurial Mindset among Students.’ The session was attended by over 1000 school teachers, principals and parents of various CBSE schools across India. The aim was strengthening entrepreneurial program in schools by training and familiarising teachers on the relevance of introducing students to the concept of entrepreneurship at an early age.

 

To instil self-confidence, problem-solving competence and innovation among school students so that they excel in their career, CBSE had introduced a course on entrepreneurship for all its affiliate schools in Classes XI & XII.

 

Speaking about the need to create awareness among teachers and orient them about entrepreneurship education, Dr. Biswajit Saha, Director, Skill and Education Training, CBSE, said, “Creation of an entrepreneurial mindset cannot be a separate from the core curriculum. The new education policy categorically is focusing on making everything a part of the curriculum. So, how we are going to make a positive room in the curriculum’s structure and transaction process, that innovation needs to come from the teachers. How to embed entrepreneurship in main curriculum and all faculty members should come forward and share their own ideas.” Dr. Saha also suggested conducting contests for students/teachers and faculty development training for CBSE schools to make the learning prove more meaningful.

 

The session, which was conducted online, covered the following topics:

Ø Role of entrepreneurship in national development

Ø Expanding scope of entrepreneurship in social, corporate and public sectors

Ø Entrepreneurial mindset among school students

Ø Entrepreneurial skills and employability skills

Ø Techniques for developing entrepreneurial mindset among school students

Elaborating on this training for trainer session, Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director General, EDII, said, “Like any other subjects, entrepreneurship is also a dynamic and practical field, which requires a certain level of familiarisation and orientation to stay attune with latest trends. Initiatives like ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat,’ ‘Start-up India,’ ‘Swachh Bharat,’ etc. have created a several entrepreneurs. The new education policy also gives substantial focus on entrepreneurs and in this context training of teachers is going to be a key focus area. Hence, it is important to help teachers understand the modalities of entrepreneurial linkages in their respective subjects and add value in their counselling and guidance. Dr. Shukla discussed various pedagogical tools and approaches to develop entrepreneurship at the school level and to develop entrepreneurial mindset among students.

 

The interactive session also touched on the various polices and schemes introduced by the Government to help the growth of entrepreneurship in India. In addition, the session delved into making classroom learning of entrepreneurship experiential and creative. Mr. R. P. Singh, Joint Secretary, Department of Skill Education, CBSE and Dr. Lalit Sharma, Faculty, EDII, also addressed the session and spoke about various nuances of entrepreneurship to the attendees.

 

Both the institution felt the need for working jointly in developing entrepreneurship education at school level. Dr. Sunil Shukla offered to provide short term training to school teachers on teaching entrepreneurship and also provide mentoring and guidance support to schools. The suggestion was welcomed by CBSE and the modalities of working jointly were discussed.

 

To create interest among youth and expose them to entrepreneurship, EDII has been regularly organizing residential camps for youth and children (Age group 16-22 years). The Institute has been successfully organising ‘YOUTH CAMPS’ during summer vacation to facilitate the development of the entrepreneurial personality of youth.