India has now over 1.3 million schools, with 900,000 teachers entering the profession each year. The Government of India has ambitious plans for them – with the Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi pledging that ‘the quality of our teachers should command worldwide respect’. In order to achieve this goal, the Indian Government has launched the ‘National Initiative for Schools Heads and Teachers Holistic Advancement’ (NISHTHA) now in 2019.
The programme brings together 33,000 trainers and the latest digital technology and content, with the aim of improving the capacity of over 4.2 million teachers. Teachers involved in the initiative will be required to complete a minimum of 50 hours continuous professional development (CPD) each year.
Launching NISTHA, Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal said that the basic aim of the programme was to motivate and equip teachers to encourage and foster critical thinking in students. It covers a wide range of areas – from teaching and learning to safeguarding and security to health and well-being – that are key to teacher and school performance.
The programme is innovative in a number of ways. It makes extensive use of digital technology, from a mobile app and Moodle-based Learning Management System, to the use of social media platforms WhatsApp and Facebook, to bring teachers together. It uses educational games and quizzes to help teachers rather than just presenting information, and it encourages the use of mentoring and measuring progress. Teachers will also be able to share ideas, challenges and best practice with their peers through online ‘quality circles’.
The use of technology will allow India to leapfrog other countries that still rely on one-way and face-to-face interaction for most teacher training – for example research shows that teachers in the United Kingdom spend only 4 days per year on training and much of this is delivered through whole school presentations. Indian teachers are also extremely positive about the use of technology and are keen to see the opportunities it presents.
At ONVU Learning we’re extremely excited by this development. We know from our work at The Doon School in India and other leading schools around the world that technology-led coaching and mentoring can make a huge impact both on teachers and their students; that sharing information and ideas in groups and with external expert coaches can help teachers access help with difficult classes; and that a consistent approach to observing lessons can help teachers notice and focus on critical incidents that lead to good – or bad! – lessons.
Read more about our work with The Doon School by visiting the dedicated school page. We will be releasing more news and content about our partnership with this successful partnership in the coming weeks, so make sure to sign up to our newsletter to receive the latest news straight into your inbox, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest updates.
If you would like to know more about how ONVU Learning can help your school improve its teaching and learning, get in touch with our team now.
