What role does teacher training and support play in bridging the performance gap between urban and rural schools?
Well-prepared and empowered educators are more capable of making a lasting impact on students’ academic experiences, whether in urban or rural environments. Teachers equipped with new-age pedagogical skills and competencies to leverage technology for improving their productivity can deliver more personalised attention to students to enhance learning outcomes.
Today, there are teacher training academies that deliver online training to reach the last teacher in the remotest of areas. I’m happy to share with you that the Jaipuria Group has an in-house Saamarthya Teachers Training Academy of Research (STTAR) which has delivered online training to over 24,000 teachers in Uttar Pradesh and beyond, with many teachers being trained from rural areas.
The government platforms such as DIKSHA and NISHTHA are also helping to empower thousands of teachers.
How can the insights from this comparative analysis inform future education policy and reform efforts to ensure equitable access to quality education for all students?
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has already advocated a robust framework for an equitable, inclusive and immersive education that focusses on outcome-based learning, formative assessments, and 21st century skills. Insights from this comparative analysis will help to contextualise the reforms for facilitating transformation and bridging the gap between urban and rural education.
By addressing the issues of accessibility, technology integration, professional development of teachers, infrastructural deficiencies, and resource allocation, the future education policy may direct reforms towards making education equitable, regardless of urban or rural location of institutions.