British Council, the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, organised a School Education Conference, in collaboration with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), with the aim of exploring and sharing knowledge on innovative teaching methodologies for school education across India, as per the official announcement.
The two-day conference was inaugurated by Sanjay Kumar, secretary, School Education and attended by representatives and policy makers from 300 schools and educational institutions, state and central government and apex body leaders, including the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), National Curriculum Framework Committee (NCF) and school boards from across the country.
The sessions centered on the orientation of school leaders and expert practitioners on resources available to students and teachers which can enhance their teaching, learning and assessment. As part of the conference the master classes were delivered by trainers from various groups, including renowned entities like the Jane Goodall Foundation, Premier League, Micro:Bit Foundation, Alpha Plus, Cambridge University Press and Assessments (CUPA) and CBSE.
At the conference, Cambridge University Press and Assessment shared findings and recommendations from the scoping study ‘Recommendations for strengthening pedagogy and assessment of practical teaching in classes 5-10’. The study, commissioned by the British Council and the CBSE, analysed the teaching and learning of science, maths, social science, and languages in CBSE schools in India, to develop the use of high quality hands-on practical and field work activities as a key component of experiential learning. The study also focused on supporting schools to strengthen climate change and sustainability education to support learners’ development of green skills and climate action and sustainability mindset.
“School education must teach and sensitise all students about the environment and climate while building on our profound bond with nature. As climate change increasingly impacts our world, action and learning at the school level is more critical than ever. The NEP and National Curriculum Framework for School Education mandates creation of textbooks on climate change and education, to impart the importance of sustainability to students across all levels and also to mitigate its effect,” Sanjay Kumar, secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, said.
At the conference, the delegates deliberated on the current levels of understanding and implementation of policies. Other areas of discussion included curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment priorities for 21st century schools as well as the enhancement of computational thinking and digital technology in the classroom. Finally, the conference also explored approaches to integrating environment education, sustainability and mindfulness across subject areas in line with the NEP 2020 and the NCF 2023.
“Through this school education conference, we’ve aimed to initiate an important dialogue between educators, policymakers and thought leaders to support transformative change in the Indian school system. Making age-appropriate climate and sustainability knowledge available to all in different ways is absolutely critical to changing mindsets and behaviours,” Alison Barrett MBE, director India, British Council, said.