Union Minister of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, launched various initiatives in School and Teacher Education, developed by the Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, today, at Kaushal Bhawan, New Delhi. Also present at the event were the Secretary, DoSEL, Shri Sanjay Kumar; Additional Secretary, DoSEL, Shri Anandrao Patil; Joint Secretary, Institutions & Training, DoSEL, Ms. Prachi Pandey; Member Secretary, NCTE, Ms. Kesang Yangzom Sherpa; Chairman, National Educational Technology Forum NBA NAAC, Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe; Chairperson, NETF, Prof. Chamu Krishna Shastry; Director, NCERT, Prof. Dinesh Prasad Saklani; Director, CIIL, Mysore, Dr. Shailendra Mohan; senior officials of the Ministry of Education, NCTE, NCERT and other dignitaries. Shri Pradhan also launched the National Mission for Mentoring (NMM) and National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST), 52 Primers in Indian languages, printed books on NMM and NPST, various schemes/guidelines with Video of SCERTs/DIETs; Video of Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK) and 200 TV Channels.

Shri Pradhan, while speaking at the event, declared the day to be a landmark day in taking a step ahead towards becoming Viksit Bharat by 2047. He said that the launch of DIETS of Excellence, National Professional Standard for Teachers, National Mission for Mentoring, 52 Primers of NCERT, National Vidya Samiksha Kendra and 200 TV Channels will lead to the effective implementation of NEP 2020 at the grassroots, empower teachers and learners and will make quality education more inclusive, innovative and equitable.

Reiterating the message that language is power and learning in mother tongue is transformational, Shri Pradhan said that the 52 Primers in Indian languages have paved the way for the beginning of a new civilizational renaissance. These initiatives will create a seamless and futuristic learning landscape, promote learning in Indian languages, realise the vision of NEP 2020 and holistically transform school education, he said.

Shri Sanjay Kumar, in his address, highlighted the recommendation of NEP2020 to take GER in the secondary level to 100% by 2030 and how the Department is committed to fulfilling that. He also informed about the new textbooks for Classes 3-12, some of which have already been developed and the remaining ones will also be brought out soon. Shri Sanjay Kumar also emphasized the importance of the 52 Primers that were developed following the suggestions of Shri Pradhan.

NMM

The NEP 2020 has laid the framework for transforming the education system and the National Mission for Mentoring (NMM) aims to provide valuable support and guidance to our dedicated teachers, ensuring their professional growth and empowering them to create a strong educational foundation for our students. The mission will run through a dedicated digital platform. Teachers will have access to quality mentoring sessions from experienced professionals as Mentors, catering to the diverse needs of learners with varying abilities.

The Bluebook on NMM was finalized after incorporating the feedback/suggestions received as a result of in-house consultations, 15 Open House Discussions, inputs received from the pilot, other stakeholders’ discussions and outreach programmes. The Bluebook on NMM will be translated into the 22 scheduled languages, Braille and Audiobooks for wider circulation across the country.

NPST

The National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST), as envisioned in NEP 2020, focuses on improving the teachers’ personal and professional development by providing them with an understanding of what is expected in terms of their performance and what needs to be done to enhance the same. NPST Guiding Document ensures that all students at different levels/stages of school education are taught by passionate, motivated, highly qualified, professionally trained, and well-equipped teachers. It is a statement of quality and defines the competencies of teachers at different stages/levels. Its implementation needs collective efforts of the Centre, States, UTs, HEIs, Regulating Agencies / Regulatory Bodies and all other relevant stakeholders.The NPST Guiding Document will be translated into the 22 scheduled languages, Braille and Audiobooks for wider circulation across the country.

52 Primers in Indian languages

The 52 Primers in Indian languages is going to be a transformational step for young learners, especially for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), providing them access to education in their mother tongue/local language. It will initiate an inspirational journey for young minds, paving the way for deeper understanding, lifelong learning, more familiarity and rootedness in indigenous culture and greater success in academics and beyond.

PMeVidya: Launch of 200 DTH TV Channels under PMeVidya DTH TV Channels for School Education is an integral component of the PMeVidya Initiative which is aimed at unifying all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education to enable multi-mode access to education. To enable multi-mode resilient as well as coherent access to education, the PMeVidya DTH TV Channels are also made available on various platforms in addition to TV and radio facilitating design, development and dissemination of quality eContents for free.

National Vidya Samiksha Kendra

NCERT has made National Vidya Samiksha Kendra functional for facilitating research and development and capacity building program. Now, the National Vidya Samiksha Kendra has been integrated with their state counterparts. It has currently enabled visibility, insights, and actionability across 11 programs. National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA), DIKSHA, Energized Textbooks (ETBs), NIPUN Bharat initiative for Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, NCERT Quiz, National Achievement Survey, Performance Grading Index (PGI), Unified District Information System for Education Plus, PM Poshan, National Curriculum Framework (NCF), Micro-Improvements program (recognition of best pedagogy practices) & PRASHAST (A Disability Screening Checklist for Schools) and PM SHRI.

DIETs of Excellence

Financial assistance, totalling to Rs 9000 crores, will be provided to States/UTs for the physical upgradation of all 613 District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) to develop them as DIET of Excellence in the country in a phased manner in the next five years.  Upto Rs. 15 Crore per DIET will be provided under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha for improving various infrastructural facilities.  Hon'ble Minister made an announcement that, in future, all SCERTs would also be upgraded in a similar manner.

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SS/AK