HRD Ministry launches two initiatives for grooming teachers in higher education institutes

Two new initiatives aimed at training teachers of higher educational institutes and grooming their leadership qualities were launched on Tuesday, with Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar stressing on the importance of faculties staying up to date with the changing times.

He said the Annual Reorientation Programme in Teaching (ARPIT) and Leadership for Academicians Programme (LEAP) will contribute to raising awareness and instill leadership qualities among faculties of higher educational institutes.

“Many academicians keep themselves very updated but many don’t. We need to stay updated,” Javadekar said in a video message.

Aiming professional development of around 15 lakh higher education faculty members, the ministry is setting up 75 discipline-specific National Resource Centres(NRCs) under ARPIT. Forty-six of these have already been set up, HRD ministry secretary R Subrahmanyam said.

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Through ARPIT, all in-service teachers at higher education institutions will be free to undergo technology-based online refresher courses, enabling them to keep abreast of the latest developments in their disciplines.

At the launch of the initiatives, Union Minister of State for HRD Satya Pal Singh termed the sun the greatest teacher for mankind.

“There is example of the Sun about how to become a good teacher,” he said reciting Vedic hymns and pointing out that the initiatives have been launched on auspicious occasion of ‘Chhath’ which involves worship of the Sun god.

About LEAP, Singh said a combination of teaching and leadership qualities was very difficult to achieve though not impossible.

Under the Leadership for Academicians Programme (LEAP), eligible professors below 55 years of age will be provided training for three weeks, including one week at world-class institutes such as the Stanford University, Harvard University, University of Oxford, Hanyong Technological University, among others.

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The initiative aims at instilling leadership and administrative skills among eligible faculties. According to an official, the ministry aims at grooming about 450 faculties as administrators in the next two years.

At the event, UGC chairman Professor DP Singh said the commission will recognise those faculties undergoing refresh course (ARPIT) through career advancement.