SRINAGAR: In an effort to discourage rote learning, the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), J&K, has updated the academic calendar and the teacher training action plan in accordance with the principles of the National Education Policy aka NEP-2020.
While commenting on the updating procedure, Associate Professor Fayaz Ahmad Fayaz stated that modifications were necessary due to the “paradigm shift” from rote learning to competency and experiential learning in schools.
SCERT’s Education Research Survey and Assessment (ERSA) Wing had been tasked with the responsibility of revising the academic calendar. The calendar is available on the SCERT website: http://scertjk.online.
“The first to eighth grades of schools need appropriate planning and a robust comprehension of the mechanisms for teaching and learning,” Dr Nazneen, Head, ERSA Wing, said. “The syllabus will assist students in setting goals and timetables for acquiring the needed competencies.”
The academic calendar, she added, is in sync with the latest instruction manual and other guidelines issued by the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT), New Delhi.
“This will make it easier for teachers to organize their lesson plans around the Learning Outcomes (LO) recommended by the NCERT,” Dr Nazneen said.
The teams involved in the process thoroughly examined the academic calendars of the neighbouring states, including Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Chandigarh, and Haryana, before incorporating best practices adopted by them.
Numerous teachers and Master Resource Persons (MRP) from the Jammu and Kashmir SCERTs, as well as personnel from each of the 20 District Institutes of Education and Training (DIET), also took part in the updating process.
In order to provide a comprehensive guidebook for the teaching community that will better equip them to manage situations in the classroom, SCERT also reviewed the action plan for teacher training.
According to Riyaz Ahmad Dar, Head of Education Planning Management and Monitoring (EPM&M), SCERT, “if education is to improve, we must work on enhancing basic teacher training.”
“Teachers’ training must be designed in a way that simplifies students’ lives and promotes efficient learning,” he said.
Dar praised the effort put in by every participant involved in the process who worked at SCERT Kashmir, SCERT Jammu, and contributed to the compilation of both publications.
