Andhra Pradesh: Engineering colleges to train teachers in digital education

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh State council of higher education (APSCHE) and department of school education, Andhra Pradesh, entered into an MoU to impart training to the teachers on technology-enabled teaching and learning through smart TVs, tabs and Interactive Flat Panels (IFPs). Engineering colleges in the state will play crucial role in conducting training classes to the teachers.

Mapping for conducting the training programme mandal-wise has been completed and the proposals have been prepared to organise the training programme for a fortnight in July 2023. APSCHE secretary Nazeer Ahmed and commissioner of school education S Suresh Kumar signed the agreement in this regard and directives were issued to the universities, JNTUs, engineering colleges and senior officers of the education department.

As per the agreement, the regional joint directors and the district educational officers of the education department will depute teachers to the identified venue (engineering colleges) as per the mapping to get knowledge in the usage of IFPs, smart TVs and the navigation of the content of the Byju’s app. It may be noted the state government started supply of tabs to the students and equipment to the schools for the digital education.

These data-driven teacher training reforms in the state would envisage impacts on the student learning outcome measurement, teacher professional development and live monitoring at all levels of the eco system, said APSCHE and department of school education in a press release on Saturday. The teachers training will also enhance teaching practices and capacities of teachers, captures inputs by teachers and observes and provide actionable insights based on all the data points.

Registrars of the JNTU-Kakinada, JNTU-Anantapur, JNTU-Vizianagaram, Andhra University, SV University, ANU, SK University and others were directed to take steps to conduct the training classes to the teachers in the engineering colleges next month.

Schools have been selected mandal-wise in all districts and senior officers of the school education department were asked to work in co-ordination to send the teachers to the respective engineering colleges to attend the training.

APSCHE has organised workshop with 300 participants in two groups consisting of faculty from engineering college and Byju’s district nodal persons on May 26 and explained the procedures to be followed to conduct the training classes.

Faculty of the engineering colleges were made aware of the features of the Interactive Flat Panel, smart TV, Byju’s learning app to support the teachers and the students of the state who were provided with Tabs and schools supplied with digital infrastructure. Engineering colleges will act as mentor institute and not more than 40 teachers per class should attend the training programme.