Karnataka | Tumkur, Madhugiri, Bangalore Rural John F. Kennedy once said, "Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other”, and even in the toughest of times, a leader finds their way to learn. Amid the ambiguity that Covid-19 presented, there was a clear felt need for capacity building of leaders and teachers in the system to adapt to the new normal. To enable the process, ShikshaLokam collaborated with the District Institute for Education and Training (DIET), Tumkur in Karnataka to pilot an Energised Professional Development (EPD) for the Cluster Resource Persons (CRPs) and teachers. The EPD pilot was supported by a collective of NGOs - Mantra4Change, Caring with Colours and Indian Literacy Project - where over 6000 stakeholders were led through a series of online workshops, self-assessments, online courses for self-learning and relevant improvement projects that required on-field application of newly acquired knowledge. The DIET officials anchored the discussions around identifying aspects and topics of capacity development, co-created the project plans and actively led the program. The CRPs and teachers were led to reimagine their roles in ensuring continuity of learning for children during current times. They also created plans on how to effectively implement the Vidyagama initiative by the Department of Education (DoE) and learnt related topics. The program also presented an opportunity for NGOs to collaborate and work together among themselves and with the DIET officials. This program energised the DIETs of Madhugiri and Bangalore Rural. They learnt from the experience of Tumkur DIET and conceptualised similar programs for the stakeholders in their districts. As you read this, hundreds of CRPs in Madhugiri and Bangalore Rural are learning, reimagining and preparing for their roles in current times. This is just the beginning of a transformative journey. |
