Showcases the value of investing in the professional development of teachers
The three-day Educators Conference at The Hyderabad Public School came to a successful closure today with some thought-provoking insights into the current National Curriculum Framework (NCF) and the path ahead. The third day of the conclave brought to fore the need for implementation of NEP in classrooms by upskilling teachers. Educator’s conclave was not just an isolated event but a message to policymakers. This message is calling upon policymakers to organize and support more such conclaves in the future.
A string of prominent educationalists and policy makers in education exchanged ideas through workshops and panel discussions as hundreds of teachers participated and experienced holistic learning. Panel discussions held on ‘Redefining inclusivity’ and ‘Need for Sports Integration for Holistic Development’ were the key highlight of the day.
Workshop on ‘Understanding & Implementing National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for Foundation Stage 2022 focused on five-fork path to NCF foundational stage – Aditi (Introduction) refers to when the teacher introduces a new concept or topic by establishing a connection with the child’s prior knowledge. Bodh (Conceptual understanding) means that children try to understand core concepts through play, enquiry, experiments, discussion, or reading in the second step. The third element is that of Abhyas or practice to strengthen understanding and skills through a range of interesting activities. Prayog means applying the acquired understanding in children’s everyday life. Prasar (Expansion) indicates spreading the acquired understanding through conversation with friends, telling each other new stories, singing new songs, reading new books together and playing new games with each other.
Expert-led workshops comprised topics such as Experiential Teaching through Art & Culture’; ‘Experiential Teaching through S.T.E.M’, ‘Ways and Means by which Education Leaders Influence Education Policy Making’; and ‘School Finance Management Strategies’.
A panel discussion on “Need for Sports Integration for Holistic Development” had key panelists like Mir Mohammed – Director, Nasr School, Alumni – HPS-Begumpet; Rishikesh Joshi – Director, Sports for All; Rajesh Vetcha – Founder, Hyderabad runners’ society and Hyderabad Marathon; Indian Shooter and HPS Alumni Asher Noria, Jatin Paranjpe – Founder, Khelo More. The discussion focused on development of the mindset of a child so that child can focus on both mind and body. Parents must allow children to play freely and expose them to multiple sports and help improve injury thresholds and better movement. A healthy ecosystem can support players and therefore, school competitions must not be restricted to specific boards like CBSE or ICSE.
The panelists highlighted the significance of big skilling platforms which are imperative to produce certificated coaches and meet the supply demand. With coaches increasingly concerned with upskilling themselves in metros, the relevance of encouraging skilling platforms is immense. Parents and children need to be educated about the peripheral career opportunities in sports. Panelists stressed on the fact that high performance sports programs help nations build Olympians, that needs to start at school. Panelists who are also alumni of the school expressed gratitude to the leadership at HPS for investing in Olympic standard facilities.
Delivering vote of gratitude to the teachers present, the Vice Principal of HPS, Begumpet Amritha Chandra Raju said, “A teacher is best led when she is by her student. We have 500 educators, all under one roof and in their hands lie the responsibility of shaping destiny of hundreds of students. This conclave is a giant leap for the character, philosophy and culture of the school”
The conclave is a steppingstone to achieving the ‘School Vision 2050’ – a roadmap for the further development of its four schools, over the next three decades. The school has earmarked an investment of 12-15 cr in the next 5 years for upskilling educators, teaching and learning support, and counselling. The Educator’s Conclave is scheduled for consecutive years to lay the blueprints for quality education for the future.