On August 21, 2019, Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched the National Mission to improve Learning Outcomes at the Elementary level National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA) at Dr Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi in the presence of Smt Rina Ray, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy and other senior officers from MHRD (Ministry of Human Resource Development), all States and Union Territories (UTs), Senior Policy Makers and Heads of Institutions.
Key Points:
i.About NISHTHA: It is the largest teachers’ training programme of its kind in the world with an aim to motivate and equip teachers to encourage and foster critical thinking in students. Teachers will get awareness and develop their skills on various aspects related to Learning Outcomes, Competency Based Learning and Testing, Learner-centered Pedagogy, School Safety and Security, Personal-social qualities, Inclusive Education. It is the first of its kind wherein standardized training modules are developed at national level for all States and UTs.
ii.Other initiatives: NISHTHA Website, Training Modules, Primer Booklet and a Mobile App were also launched.
iii.Schedule: Training will be conducted directly by 33,120 Key Resource Persons (KRPs) and State Resource Persons (SRP) identified by the State and UTs, who will in turn be trained by 120 National Resource Persons identified from National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs).
iv.MOODLE: A Mobile App and Learning Management System (LMS) based on MOODLE (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) have been developed by NCERT (https://nishtha.ncert.gov.in/). LMS will be used for registration of Resource Persons and Teachers, dissemination of resources, training gap and impact analysis, monitoring, mentoring and measuring the progress online.
About MHRD:
♦ Headquarters: New Delhi
♦ Founded: 26 September 1985
♦ Constituency of MHRD Minister: Haridwar, Uttarakhand