SCERT, UNICEF India launch capacity building programs for teachers

JAMMU : The State Council of Education Research and Training (SCERT) in collaboration with UNICEF and Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) Mumbai, launched a series of capacity building programs for teachers of Jammu and Kashmir here on Tuesday.

Around 300 participants from all the 20 districts of the Union Territory comprising teachers and faculty members of District Institutes of Education and Training (DIET) and SCERT participated in the program titled “Constructive Teaching and Learning with Technology”, the first in the series.

The module, supported by UNICEF India, has been developed and implemented by the Centre of Excellence in Teacher Education (CETE), TISS.

The CETE, which was inaugurated in November, last year, is first-of-its-kind in India, aiming to become a catalyst in transforming teacher development.

Professor Mythili Ramchand from CETE introduced the course and explained its key components to the participants.

While inaugurating the program, Director SCERT, Professor Veena Pandita said the SCERT has been in the forefront of empowering teachers through a host of professional development programs. Contemporary times, she said, mandated that a teacher should be tech savvy as she highlighted the initiatives taken up by the SCERT since its inception in 2020.

“It’s our prime duty to exploit the technology at hand to hilt to make the education more inclusive, accessible and constructive,” Professor Pandita asserted. She added that “Educationists, as mandated in the right to education, are reimagining learning so that every student enjoys its fruits regardless of his/her gender, social status or background”.

Dr. Amina Charania, who is an Associate Professor at the CETE, said “The role of technology in constructing meaningful learning experiences for students is paramount,”. “Exploring various technological applications while critically evaluating their use and role in meaningful learning creates a perfect environment for blended learning”, she added.

The course, she informed, would cover five units to be conducted online on TISSx (web platform of TISS).

“After the successful completion of the course, the teachers will receive a completion certificate with grades from the TISS and will be qualified to proceed to the next step for Master Trainers’ preparation”, Dr Charania informed.

Danish Aziz, Education specialist with UNICER India informed that more such programs are in pipeline for future. “The UNICEF India has conducted various capacity building programs on role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Education in the past.” he added.