In a development which points towards the growing prominence of computer education in schools among the students, selected teachers across the nation will be conferred with a ‘National Award for the use of information and communication technology in education’. CBSE recently released the details of ICT awards for teachers.
Schools following the CBSE curriculum, both government and private, have recognised how training in computers helps in the overall development of students, and this is possible only with the help of those teachers who have worked on the establishment and integrating of classroom teaching with ICT.
It may be mentioned that since the government has launched various steps to introduce ICT in schools one such major step was ICT @Schools which provided a new platform of learning. In December 2004, ICT was launched in schools to provide opportunities to secondary stage students to develop ICT skills and promote ICT aided learning process. Under this scheme, teachers are conferred with a ‘National Award for the use of ICT in education’.
There are various criteria for the contest in which primary, upper primary, secondary and higher secondray school teachers are eligible. Each winning teacher will be awarded with an ICT kit, a laptop and a commendation certificate. The winners would be encouraged to function as mentors for other teachers in area of ICT. The prize winning initiatives would be shared as best practices across the country. A portfolio and record of implementation of ICT is mandatory.
The details for the ceremony to award the teachers are yet to be finalised.
Teachers from India have a very high reputation worldwide. A leading UK-based academic and education researcher has suggested that schools in the UK should consider outsourcing exam marking to India to reduce costs and teachers’ workload. Rebecca Allen of University College London’s Institute of Education and director of Education Datalab pointed out that one British board was already using a Bangalore-based company to mark critical exams in reading, maths and ICT.
