The Union Education Minister and Union Tribal Affairs Minister have recently launched the School Innovation Ambassador Training Program (SIATP). This new initiative, designed to provide extensive training to school teachers in various areas including innovation, entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), is an effort to equip them with the skills necessary to help shape the future of India’s students. The programme will also involve the launch of an Adi-Prashikshan portal by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, which will serve as a repository of training inputs.
About the School Innovation Ambassador Training Program (SIATP)
The SIATP has been designed as a unique and innovative training program for school teachers. Its goal is to train 50,000 school teachers in diverse areas such as innovation, entrepreneurship, IPR, design thinking, product development, and idea generation. The intention is to transform Indian teachers into ambassadors of innovation, and agents of change to prepare our students for the future.
Design and Collaboration of the Program
The SIATP was devised by the Innovation Cell of the Ministry of Education and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), specifically for school teachers. It is based on the Innovation Ambassador Training Program for faculty members of Higher Educational Institutions. The program will be delivered exclusively in online mode. The design and delivery are marked by its collaborative effort between the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), and the AICTE.
Benefits of the SIATP
Primarily, the SIATP will benefit schools for tribal children across the country, adding momentum to the creativity of these children. It aims to nurture innovation capabilities in lakhs of students, create a culture of innovation, and pave the way for a new and vibrant India. Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) students will particularly benefit from this program. Over the next three years, 740 EMRS will be established in tribal dominant areas under a scheme that started in 1997-98, to impart quality education to Scheduled Tribe children in remote areas.
Other Important Related Initiatives
There are several other important related initiatives such as New National Education Policy (NEP), 2020; NISHTHA (National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement); DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing); and Samagra Siksha which complements SIATP perfectly in extending quality education across the nation.
About All India Council for Technical Education
Set up in November 1945 as a national-level apex advisory body, its main purpose was to conduct a survey on the available facilities for technical education and to promote development in the country in a coordinated and integrated manner. It is vested with statutory authority for planning, formulation, and maintenance of norms & standards, Quality assurance through accreditation, Funding in priority areas, monitoring, and evaluation, Maintaining parity of certification & awards, and management of technical education in the country, as described in the National Policy of Education (1986).
About Innovation Cell
The Innovation Cell is an initiative established by the Ministry of Education in 2018, located at AICTE premises, with the aim to foster a culture of Innovation across all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) nationwide. Its mandate is to encourage and nurture young students by exposing them to new ideas resulting in innovative activities in their formative years through a Network of Innovation Clubs (NIC) in HEIs.
Last Modified: February 15, 2024