In a major push to enhance the quality of school education across the state, the Gujarat government has announced a comprehensive leadership training programme for principals of all government and grant-in-aid schools. This initiative aims to directly impact learning outcomes by empowering school leaders.
Massive Scale: Training Over 38,000 Principals in Two Phases
The ambitious programme will cover a total of 38,535 principals from both primary and secondary schools. The training will be executed in two distinct phases to ensure effective implementation. The first phase, scheduled from January 1 to 3, 2024, will involve principals from 32,844 primary schools. This will be immediately followed by the second phase from January 6 to 8, 2024, which will train principals from 5,691 secondary schools.
The entire programme is being organized by the Gujarat Council of Educational Research and Training (GCERT) under the direct guidance of the state education department. To kick off each phase, ministers Pradyuman Vaja and Rivaba Jadeja will address all participating principals via a broadcast through BISAG on the first day.
Core Focus: NEP 2020, NAS 2027, and Modern Pedagogy
The training curriculum has been meticulously designed to address contemporary educational challenges and align with national frameworks. A dedicated training module has already been prepared and made available on the GCERT website for easy access.
The core areas of focus include:
- The evolving roles and responsibilities of principals under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
- Implementing innovative teaching and learning methods as per the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2023.
- Developing strategic preparation plans to improve Gujarat's performance in the upcoming National Achievement Survey (NAS) in 2027.
- Effective classroom monitoring and conducting SWOC analysis for school improvement.
- Mentoring teachers and strengthening pedagogical practices.
- Utilizing competency-based assessment tools, including questions aligned with the PARAKH framework.
Expected Outcomes: Building 21st-Century Skills in Students
State education officials believe this large-scale intervention is crucial for the ground-level execution of NEP 2020. The trained principals are expected to become catalysts of change within their institutions. They will guide teachers in fostering essential 21st-century skills among students, ultimately enhancing foundational abilities like reading, writing, numeracy, and critical thinking across Gujarat's school system.
This initiative represents a significant investment in educational leadership, aiming to create a ripple effect that improves the overall teaching-learning environment and student achievement metrics in the long term.
