Summary
The ICT awardees are also being bestowed with a responsibility to function as ICT ambassadors in widening the outreach of ICT in Education
Annpurna Devi appreciated the role of teachers in nation-building and mentioned that gurus are given utmost respect in Indian society
The Union minister of state for education Annpurna Devi presented the National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Awards to 49 teachers across the country.
Speaking on the occasion, Annpurna Devi said that the National Education Policy 2020 emphasises the extensive use of technology in teaching and learning processes, removing language barriers and increasing access for DIVYANG students with educational planning and management.
She said that the intervention under Samagra Shiksha also has a component to provide IT infrastructure to schools and Teacher Education Institutes (TEIs) to facilitate innovative use of ICT in school and teacher education leading to improved quality in all the spheres of school and teacher education.
The minister highlighted that the flagship projects to bridge the digital divide include DIKSHA, ePathshala, ICT Curriculum for teachers and students, School MOOCs on SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds), PMeVIDYA (One Class One Channel) and NISHTHA (National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement) integrated teacher training programme through online mode.
These initiatives help in enhancing the access and outreach of technology irrespective of any social, political, economic or geographic barriers, she added.
Annpurna Devi appreciated the role of teachers in nation-building and mentioned that gurus are given utmost respect in Indian society. She congratulated all the teachers being awarded today for their diligent efforts and innovation in the field of education and promoting the outreach of technology in their schools, even during the pandemic.
She said that the recent budget announcements by the Government of India have provided further impetus to all the digital education initiatives. The launch of 200 DTH TV channels, 750 virtual labs in Science and Mathematics, transforming teachers into digital teachers are some of the new budget announcements of the government for 2022-23.
The ICT awardees are also being bestowed with a responsibility to function as ICT ambassadors in widening the outreach of ICT in Education through their continuous efforts by mentoring other teachers and also developing entrepreneurial skills among the students to develop a skilled workforce.
NCERT adopts a rigorous process in inviting online applications through a dedicated portal, online self-nominations by prospective candidates, receiving nominations from state/Union Territories/organisations level authorities, organisations of national-level jury meeting for final selection through jury, which is being done transparently.
It has now been envisaged to extend this award to the teacher educators (School Complexes, CRCs, BRCs, BIETs, DIETs, CTEs/IASEs, SCERTs/SIEs, SIETs and SIEMAT, among others, and for the states and UTs for their best practices.)
Last updated on 03 Mar 2022
