Gurushala has launched the Education Leadership Development Program (EDLP) in Meghalaya with an aim to strengthen education in the State by enhancing the capabilities of educators, who will contribute to holistic development.
A total of 600 teachers and school leaders are the beneficiaries of the program, which began from the Shillong Public School on September 25. Other districts to be covered under the programme that will conclude on October 13 are Ri Bhoi, West and East Jaiñtia Hills, East, North and South Garo Hills districts.
Gurushala is a free of cost online teacher training and professional development initiative implemented by Pratham Education Foundation and funded by Vodafone Foundation and Indus Towers Ltd.
The EDLP covers face-to-face training sessions centred on the theme, “Identifying and Bridging the Learning Gaps,” These sessions will be complemented by a series of virtual training sessions, ensuring continuous support and professional development for the participants, the organisers said.
Stating that transforming schools into “centers of excellence” necessitates a paradigm shift in the role of teachers towards proactive practices for school transformation, the organisers said this transformation is not a one-time endeavour but a journey that requires long-term capacity building to equip education leaders in addressing real-life challenges in schools. The goal is to empower them with the skills and knowledge needed to foster excellence in education, they added.
At the training programme, the discussion centred on the concept of learning gaps, recognizing them, and employing effective methods to minimize these gaps in students to enhance their educational achievements.
The educators were also trained on principles outlined in the National Education Policy 2020, which encourages a shift away from memorization-based learning by highlighting the importance of fostering students’ conceptual understanding, nurturing their unique skill sets, and promoting experiential and skill-based learning.
With an overarching goal of reducing the learning gaps in students, teachers were also introduced to novel strategies and approaches that can be readily applied in their classrooms.
