HRD Minister Launches “˜Prashikshak´- A Teacher Education Portal

USPA NEWS - The Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Mrs. Smriti Irani at the launch of the “˜Prashikshak´ teacher education portal for District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs), in New Delhi on June 30, 2016.

Transformative Changes In The Monitoring System Of These Institutions

Minister for Human Resource Development, Mrs. Smriti Zubin Irani dedicated “˜Prashikshak´ ““ a teacher education portal, to the nation at Vigyan Bhawan, in New Delhi on June 30. “˜Prashikshak´ is launched with a vision to strengthen District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) and bring quality teachers into the Indian school education system.

Mrs. Smriti Irani, addressing the gathering at the launch of the programme, highlighted the fact that though the Prashiskshak Portal has started only for DIETs, it will cover block level institutes in the future and identify gaps at the bottom of the pyramid. She also announced that the Ministry of Human Resource Development has plans for enhancing Prashikshak to cover all Govt. Teacher Education Institutions in the country, which are recognized by the National Council for Teacher Education. She also made an appeal to all State Government teacher education functionaries to make full use of the “˜Prashikshak´ portal to bring about transformative changes in the monitoring system of these institutions.

The event also saw live interaction about “˜Prashikshak´ through video conference with DIET Principals across 6 States ““ Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. During the interaction, State Education Ministers of Assam and Madhya Pradesh appreciated the initiative and extended support along with their state functionaries. Also, suggestions received like sharing of materials in regional languages, creating a corner for “˜solution exchange on issues related to teacher education´ were also well noted and appreciated by the Union HRD Minister.

Dr. Ram Shankar Katheria, MoS, (HRD) and Mr. Upendra Kushwaha, MoS, (HRD), also addressed the gathering and appreciated Prashikshak as a milestone in strengthening the quality of teachers´ education. The event was also graced by 11 State Education Ministers from the States of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. Dr. S.C. Khuntia, Secretary, School Education and Literacy, GoI, Mrs. Rina Ray, Additional Secretary, School Education, GoI, Education Secretaries of various states, Directors of SCERTs, Principals of DIETs, senior policy makers and representatives of Autonomous Bodies such as NCTE, NCERT, CBSE and NUEPA, also attended the programme.