Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Announces Major Education Reforms
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced on Saturday that the state government is taking significant steps to improve the education sector. The goal is to provide better facilities in government educational institutions.
Reforms in Teacher Training
The state government has decided to refurbish the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and all District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs). This will strengthen the training mechanism for teachers.
SCERT has been elevated as the top institution for school and teacher training, with its administrative control transferred to the State Project Director of Samgra Shiksha Abhiyan. Similarly, the administrative oversight of DIETs has also been given to the same director.
Historical Background
Established in 1954 as the College of Education, SCERT has evolved over the decades. It became the State Institution of Education in 1970 and was restructured as SCERT in 1984. Its mission is to enhance the quality of education by providing in-service training to teachers and other educational personnel.
New Roles and Responsibilities
The restructuring will enable SCERT to function more effectively in providing training to teaching faculties, promoting educational transformation through research and innovations.
DIETs will also receive a facelift. They play a crucial role in providing pre-service and in-service teacher education programs and conducting state and district-level educational research on various issues such as enrollment, retention, and gender parity in education.
DIETs in Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur districts will focus exclusively on in-service training. Other DIETs will be classified into categories A and B based on their infrastructure, with selected bridge courses offered in addition to regular training.
The administrative head of each DIET will be the Deputy Director (Higher Education-Inspection), who will be called the Deputy Director of Quality Control. Principals will handle day-to-day operations, with appointments based on merit and academic records.
Commitment to Educational Excellence
Chief Minister Sukhu emphasized that the Himachal Pradesh government is dedicated to raising educational standards and improving the teacher training mechanism across the state. To adopt the best teaching practices from around the world, the state government has started a program to send teachers abroad for exposure visits.
Doubts Revealed
Himachal Pradesh -: Himachal Pradesh is a state in northern India, known for its beautiful mountains and cool weather.
CM -: CM stands for Chief Minister, who is the head of the government in a state in India.
Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu -: Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is the current Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh.
Education Reforms -: Education reforms are changes made to improve the education system, like better schools or new ways of teaching.
State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) -: SCERT is an organization that helps improve education by doing research and training teachers.
District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) -: DIETs are special schools that train teachers to be better at their jobs.
Samgra Shiksha Abhiyan -: Samgra Shiksha Abhiyan is a government program in India aimed at improving school education from pre-school to high school.
State Project Director -: The State Project Director is a person in charge of managing big education projects in the state.
Restructuring -: Restructuring means changing the way something is organized to make it work better.
