CBSE teacher workshop at The Indian School 'Educating parents about Education'

‘That is what learning is, you suddenly understand something you have understood all your life, but in a new way.’ Doris Lessing

The Indian School held a CBSE workshop on educating parents about education and promoting mental health and well being, by Ms Tania Joshi, Principal, The Indian School and Ms Monica Sharma, Principal, Shalom Presidency School, Gurgaon, on 28 June 2024 at our School. The workshop was attended by 60 teachers of morning and afternoon shifts.

The National Education Policy 2020 is ready for full implementation. Therefore, CBSE aims to train teachers to address parents and explain the benefits of NEP 2020 in a simplified manner.

The objective of the session was to provide information about the framework that is woven around 11 themes that are- Growing up healthy, Emotional well being, Interpersonal relationships, Gender equality, Healthy lifestyle, Nutrition, Health and Sanitation.

Module 1 of the workshop focussed on the paradigm shift in the education system, implementing the 5+3+3+4 school structure, introducing multidisciplinary learning, multilingualism in classrooms, inclusive education, emphasising experiential learning and project-based activities.

The second module emphasised assessment reforms, shifting towards continuous and comprehensive evaluation, emphasising formative assessment and student-centric approaches.

Outcome-based education is one which will encourage the development of competencies, develop an understanding of SAFAL i.e. Structured assessment of analysing learning. Also described was the way to identify the key elements of the Holistic Report Card and the benefits of competency-based assessment, objectives of reforms, multiple intelligences and multilingualism in the classroom.

The third module stressed on developing a good rapport with students. The fourth module enlightened us about the importance of career counselling at school level and providing information to  students to help them take the right direction for careers. A new impetus was felt during the session to enable a smooth implementation of the National Education Policy 2020.

The facilitators stressed upon mental health issues among students being a concern for policy makers. Taking cognisance of this, the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 highlights the urgent need for ensuring ‘not only cognitive development, but also building character and creating holistic and well-rounded individuals equipped with key 21st century skills’. It is also vital that education nurtures the development of competencies such as communication, cooperation, team work and resilience among students.

The resource persons facilitated the importance of mental health and well-being, among school going students. As it plays an important role in supporting students to enable a state of well-being where students can meet their learning potential and cope with stress. The importance of career counselling at the school level and providing accurate information to students was emphasised for robust career choices.

The workshop concluded with Principal Ms Tania Joshi affirming the importance of NEP 2020. She offered a vote of thanks and a potted plant nurtured in our School nursery to the guest speaker. Overall, the workshop was extremely interactive, informative and interesting.