JAMMU: The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Jammu and Kashmir, on Thursday inaugurated a three-day capacity-building programme for 50 secondary school librarians from Jammu Division to strengthen school libraries as learning centres in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Organised by SCERT’s Department of Library and Documentation at its Jammu divisional office, the programme is titled “Changing Landscape of School Libraries: Learning Hubs as Envisioned by NEP 2020”.
Prof. Sangita Gupta, Dean, Planning and Development, and Head of the Department of Library and Information Science at the University of Jammu, was the chief guest at the inaugural session, held under the guidance of SCERT Joint Director Sindhu Kapoor.
The training aims to equip librarians with contemporary approaches to library management, reading promotion, independent learning and the use of digital resources to support classroom teaching.
The sessions will cover information and media literacy in the age of artificial intelligence, the role of school libraries in addressing misinformation, strategies for nurturing young learners and the use of E-Granthalaya 4.0 for library management.
Addressing participants, Kapoor stressed the need to move beyond the traditional role of libraries as book repositories and develop them into inclusive learning spaces that promote reading habits, critical thinking and access to diverse educational resources.
Gupta highlighted the importance of school libraries in encouraging intellectual curiosity, independent thinking and lifelong learning among students.
A training manual was also released during the inaugural session to guide participants in strengthening school libraries as technology-enabled learning centres.
Resource persons from the University of Jammu, government degree colleges, Army Public School Ratnuchack and SCERT Jammu will lead the sessions.
Separately, SCERT is conducting a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) programme to promote safe water use, sanitation and hygiene practices and support healthier school environments.
