The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) rolled out a number of transformative initiatives on its 65th Foundation Day to be in harmony with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. These programs are intended to transform early childhood education and facilitate inclusive education. Other foundational literacy, numeracy and inclusive education announcements were the Bal Vatika TV channel, DIKSHA 2.0 and PRashast 2.0 among other tools.
Significant Launches and Announcements.
Bal Vatika – PM-eVidya DTH Channel No. 35.
-
This channel is aimed at children between 3 and 6 years of age and is characterized by interactive content related to the foundational literacy and numeracy development.
-
It also helps teachers, Anganwadi workers and parents which is aligned with the NEP 2020 objectives of early childhood education.
DIKSHA 2.0 – Enhanced 2.0 Digital Learning Platform.
-
DIKSHA 2.0 provides AI-supported capabilities and support in 12 languages of India.
-
Adaptive assessments, Read Aloud, Closed Captioning, and performance tracking are among the main features that make learning more accessible and customizable to students and educators.
PRASHAST 2.0
-
An early detection of children with disabilities tool that will be integrated with UDISE+ and APAAR ID.
-
Promotes inclusive education through the provision of improved access to services to the divyang learners.
Kitab Ek Padhe Anek
-
Accordingly, this initiative offers inclusive textbooks in Classes 1 and 2 which are friendly to various learners including students with disabilities as per the Universal Design of Learning (UDL).
-
It is consistent with the mission of the NEP to reinforce basic learning.
Additional Initiatives
-
VR Labs: Virtual Reality at NCERT Demo Schools.
-
PM eVidya Mobile App: A platform to access multi-format learning content at a centralized location.
-
Primers Release: In several languages to encourage linguistic variety.
-
Odisha Heritage book: 100 great Odia personalities.
-
Vocational Education Handbook: PSSCIVE released this guide to help in the implementation of NEP 2020.
Alignment and Future Roadmap of NEP 2020.
-
The launches are in line with the five-year journey of NCERT through NEP 2020, which revolves around:
-
Digital transformation in education at school.
-
Diversity and openness to everyone.
-
Designing curriculum according to National Curriculum Framework (NCF).
Conclusion
The Foundation Day festivities reiterate the importance of NCERT in influencing the educational policy and providing quality content to transform education in India.
