National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA)
Context:
Ministry of Tribal Affairs and NCERT come together on a joint mission for NISHTHA Capacity Building Programme for Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) Teachers and Principals.
About NISHTHA:
- NISHTHA is a capacity building programme for “Improving Quality of School Education through Integrated Teacher Training”.
- It was launched by Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal in August 2019.
- It aims to build competencies among all the teachers and school principals at the elementary stage.
- It has been launched under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha in 2109-20.
Objective of NISHTHA
The objectives of the NISHTHA mega-training programme are:
- To equip every elementary stage teachers with learner-centred pedagogy, learning outcomes, school-based assessment, new initiatives in education to address diverse needs of children through multiple pedagogies, etc.
- To provide and monitor extensive support to the teachers through multiple modes up to the classroom level for improving the learning outcomes of the students.
- To orient school principals and state functionaries on learning outcomes, learner-centred pedagogy, national achievement survey and new initiatives in school education to extend support and monitor schools for implementing new initiatives.
Areas Covered Under NISHTHA
The NISHTHA training programmes are conducted for school principals, teachers, School Management Committees (SMCs) and state, district, block, cluster level functionaries.
This training aims to equip and motivate teachers for encouraging and fostering critical thinking in students, acting as first-level counsellors, and handling diverse situations. The NISHTHA aims to develop the skills in a joyful learning manner on the various aspects related to:
- Learning outcomes,
- Competency-based learning and testing,
- Learner-centred pedagogy,
- School safety and security,
- Personal-Social qualities,
- Inclusive education,
- ICT in teaching-learning, including artificial intelligence,
- Health and well-being, including yoga,
- Initiatives in school education, including library,
- Eco club, youth club, kitchen garden,
- School leadership qualities,
- Environmental concerns,
- Pre-school, Pre-vocational education and
- School-based assessment.
Quality training packages that contain modules related to the above areas are developed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA). The States and UTs are free to contextualise the training modules and use their own resource persons and materials, keeping in view the expected outcomes and core topics of NISHTHA.
The main expected outcomes from NISHTHA are:
- Improvement in learning outcomes of the students.
- Creation of an enabling and enriching inclusive classroom environment
- Teachers become alert and responsive to the social, emotional and psychological needs of students as first level counselors.
- Teachers are trained to use Art as pedagogy leading to increased creativity and innovation among students.
- Teachers are trained to develop and strengthen personal-social qualities of students for their holistic development.
- Creation of healthy and safe school environment.
- Integration of ICT in teaching learning and assessment.
- Developing stress free School Based Assessment focused on development of learning competencies.
- Teachers adopt Activity Based Learning and move away from rote learning to competency based learning.
- Teachers and School heads become aware of new initiatives in school education.
- Transformation of the Heads of Schools into providing academic and administrative leadership for the schools for fostering new initiatives.