The National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA) programme made headlines recently for its inaugural launch in the online medium within the state of Andhra Pradesh.
About NISHTHA Programme
Initially, the NISHTHA programme was up and running in 2019 through face-to-face mode. The programme is primarily focused on improving learning results at the elementary education level across India. However, the global Covid-19 pandemic situation and the consequential lockdowns impacted this face-to-face variation of the programme. Consequently, NISHTHA has been adapted for online delivery, leveraging digital platforms like DIKSHA and NISHTHA portals.
Aims of the NISHTHA Programme
The NISHTHA programme is developed as a capacity-building initiative to enhance the quality of school education via integrated teacher training programs. Its primary intentions are to foster competencies amongst all teachers and school principals functioning at the elementary stage.
Implementation of the NISHTHA Programme
The process of implementation includes officials from state, district, and block levels getting trained on various factors like learning outcomes, school-based assessments, learner-centered pedagogy, new innovations in education, and addressing diverse student needs through multiple pedagogical strategies. The sessions are administered by both National Resource Groups (NRGs) and State Resource Groups (SRGs) at the national and state levels, who will then train around 42 lakh teachers.
Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing: DIKSHA Portal
The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) launched the DIKSHA Portal in 2017. It is positioned as a digital platform providing teachers with opportunities to learn, train themselves, and connect with their teaching community. When designing the portal, it was ensured that it catered to the entire teacher life cycle, starting from when they enrol in Teacher Education Institutes (TEIs) to post-retirement. In addition to this, it also provides access to NCERT textbooks and lessons that align with regular school curriculums. States, government bodies, and even private entities can incorporate DIKSHA into their existing teacher initiatives according to their objectives, needs, and capabilities. This broad-spectrum adoption possibility allows for a more diverse and holistic utilisation of the platform.
Clearly, the NISHTHA programme and the DIKSHA portal are making waves in educational spaces. Their focus on digitalising and streamlining resources and knowledge for teachers shines a positive light on the future of education in India. It demonstrates the readiness of our educational ecosystem to adapt to new-age learning platforms, particularly during unpredictable times such as these, caused by the global pandemic.
Source: PIB