Pedagogy, methodology basic challenge in Primary, Middle level schools: DSEK

Srinagar, May 19: The Director School Education Kashmir (DSEK) GN Itoo, on Monday said that Pedagogy and the methodology were the basic challenges in schools at the Primary and the Middle School level.

He was talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function organised at Institute of Advance Studies in Education (IASE) MA road Srinagar, to release the 4-C lesson planning for teachers. The four Cs include - Consider, Co-construct, Clarify and Consolidate. All these Cs are aligned with 21st century teaching skills.

“The basic challenge in our middle and primary levels is with regard to pedagogy and methodology because this is the level where the students have to develop interest, creativity and retention. I think that if we go to the classroom through better methodology and a professional lesson plan, we can achieve all these things out of it,” he told reporters here.

He said that considering the present challenges at elementary level schools, B.Ed course and other professional training of our teachers was more relevant at the primary and middle level schools than at the high and high school level. “The B.Ed course is relevant at every level but its importance is at this level (elementary level),” he said. He said that as per the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020, students are to be taught in their mother tongue from the beginning and develop creativity and personality development in them.

“I think a course like B.Ed, and the way it has been designed by this college, I think it is going to be a game changer for our teachers,” he said. “Whether it is refresher courses, or other courses for orientation, those all will be done in collaboration with this college (IASE),” G N Itoo said. He further said that 17000 teachers working in School Education Department (SED) were yet to receive B.Ed training. He said the department is training all the left out untrained teachers in a phased manner. "We have around 17,000 teachers who are yet to get B.Ed training. But we are going in a phased manner. We are not only collaborating with this college (IASE) because we depute 100 people (teachers) per year. We have already signed an agreement with IGNOU," he said.

Dr G N Itoo said Kashmir University is also offering B.Ed course in distance mode as it was slightly difficult to leave so many teachers in regular mode for B.Ed Course.

"Teachers will have to be kept in the classroom too. But we will prefer distance mode, because the batches are also big there, and teachers have to come only for contact courses. The process is going on and in the coming days, this will be our target to provide training to all teachers as early as possible," Itoo said. DSEK G N Itoo said the department should be in a position to train all the teachers who are yet to take B.Ed training.

"The benefit of this will not only be in our classroom, but also in our teaching fraternity for their exposure and confidence level," he said. He said the department will try its best to ensure that all the teachers are covered as early as possible.

When asked if teachers deputed for B.Ed course were not regularly attending classes in IASE, G N Itoo said that all the teachers deputed here have to attend the classes. "Once they come here, they have to attend classes. This time we ensured that teachers have full attendance as we have introduced biometric attendance for them here at the college. I have personally monitored that each and every teacher is relieved on time," Itoo said.

He said the teachers report to college on time. "We have been in regular touch with the Principal of this college. They have been giving us feedback about the teachers," G N Itoo said. He said attendance has been very encouraging this year, except for a few cases of health issues. “The rest of the teachers have regularly attended this college," he said.