E-Paper
13 Education & Training Institutes in U.P. to be developed as Centres of Excellence
The ministry of education, government of India has identified 13 District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) across the state to be transformed into Centres of Excellence.
LUCKNOW
To improve the quality of education in schools, District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) in Uttar Pradesh are all set for a makeover. The Ministry of Education, Government of India, has identified 13 DIETs across the state to be transformed into Centres of Excellence, according to an official.
As part of the initiative, infrastructure development across the DIETs will be undertaken, and the curricula and methodologies of training provided to both pre-service and in-service teachers will be updated.
“The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), UP, has started working towards making DIETs Centres of Excellence. With the aim of promoting research and innovation, 18 faculty members from SCERT and DIETs are currently undergoing a ten-day training program in Research Methodology at MS Baroda University, Gujarat, with support from UNICEF,” said Pawan Sachan, joint director, SCERT UP.
The 13 districts selected include Lucknow, Varanasi, Kushinagar, Kanpur Dehat, Gorakhpur, Moradabad, Meerut, Aligarh, Jaunpur, Barabanki, Muzaffarnagar, Prayagraj and Agra. These districts have been identified in the first phase by the Ministry of Education, and financial support will be provided for infrastructure development.
“Teachers must be equipped with adequate skills, competencies, and sensitivities that help improve the quality of education as well as nurture children to develop their full potential to contribute to their own and society’s development,” said Zakari Adam, chief of UNICEF, Uttar Pradesh.
Ritwik Patra, education specialist UNICEF UP, said that a study was undertaken in 2022 by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences with the support of UNICEF to understand the current scenario of DIETs in the state.
“The study findings, shared with the SCERT earlier this year, highlighted the need for updating the curriculum to reflect the most recent policies and research. The study also highlighted the need for leadership development programs and professional development opportunities for DIET faculty to build academic and research rigor, in addition to bringing to light the need for infrastructure development to keep up with the times,” said Ritwik Patra.
Based on the findings of the study and with the aim of promoting research and innovation in DIETs, a ten-day training program for SCERT and DIETs is being facilitated by UNICEF at MS Baroda University, Gujarat, from December 11 to 22.
“The course will provide hands-on training to lecturers at DIET on conducting action research relevant to improving education in UP. This will enable them to generate evidence to address educational challenges and provide plausible solutions,” said Begur, Education Specialist, UNICEF India office.
