Minister of Basic Education Sandeep Singh lays foundation for developing 13 District Institutes of Education and Training as Centers of Excellence

Lucknow : As part of the Uttar Pradesh government ongoing efforts to strengthen teacher training and elementary education, the Minister of State for Basic Education (Independent Charge), Sandeep Singh, laid the foundation for developing 13 District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) as Centers of Excellence at an SCERT (State Council of Educational Research and Training) event.

The Minister also launched the ‘Sampoorna’ training module to enhance teacher development, along with ‘Chahak’ and ‘Parikalan’ workbooks to boost foundational literacy and numeracy.

Sandeep Singh announced that in the second phase, 15 more DIETs will be developed as Centers of Excellence to further expand teacher training. He emphasized the government’s unwavering commitment to making Uttar Pradesh a leading state in education.

The ceremony, organized by SCERT, Uttar Pradesh, also included distribution of awards to a total of 53 outstanding participants from the 5th State-Level Art, Craft, and Puppetry Competition for primary and upper primary teachers (2024-25).

The Minister who was the chief guest at the event, also inaugurated SCERT’s newly constructed training building and the new hostel ‘Kalpataru’. Alongside, he also inaugurated another training building and launched the integrated training module ‘Sampoorna.’

During his address, the Basic Education Minister (Independent Charge) Sandeep Singh stated that the Uttar Pradesh government is consistently working to strengthen basic education in the state.

He highlighted the vision of making Uttar Pradesh a frontrunner in education, emphasizing that talent is abundant in the state. He assured that the initiative of developing 13 DIETs as Centers of Excellence is just the beginning, and the second phase is already in preparation.

With 15 more DIETs set to be upgraded, the scope of teacher training will expand significantly. He further emphasized the government’s dedication to establishing new benchmarks in education and ensuring continuous improvements in teacher training quality. The goal is to empower educational institutions and make Uttar Pradesh a model state in education.

Addressing the event, Deepak Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary for Finance, Secondary, and Basic Education, assured that ongoing education initiatives would continue to progress and that there were no financial constraints.

Meanwhile, Kanchan Verma, Director General of School Education, stressed the importance of a conducive environment for effective training, highlighting that establishing DIET buildings under the Center of Excellence initiative is a crucial step. She asserted that a well-structured environment is essential for high-quality teacher training.

The 13 DIETS for which foundation stones were laid under the Center of Excellence initiative, include:
Aligarh, Muzaffarnagar, Agra, Kushinagar, Lucknow, Varanasi, Jaunpur, Meerut, Moradabad, Barabanki, Gorakhpur, Kanpur Dehat, and Prayagraj.

53 outstanding participants awarded

A total of 53 participants who excelled in the 5th State-Level Art, Craft, and Puppetry Competition were honored. The awards were distributed as follows:

• 10 participants for language at the primary level.
• 10 participants for mathematics at the primary level.
• 11 participants for science at the upper primary level.
• 12 participants for mathematics at the upper primary level.
• 10 participants for social science at the upper primary level.

SCERT Director Ganesh Kumar explained that ‘Chahak’ and ‘Parikalan’ workbooks have been specifically designed for children aged 3 to 6 years. These workbooks will play a crucial role in enhancing foundational literacy and numeracy.

SCERT Joint Director Dr. Pawan Sachan detailed that the ‘Sampoorna’ module is designed to enhance the professional development and capacity building of primary teachers. It covers various key topics, including teaching skills, classroom management, assessment, moral education, inclusive education, arts and music, puppetry, sports, and health education.

Dr. Sachan revealed that under the Center of Excellence initiative, the strengthening of DIETs in Uttar Pradesh received financial approval of Rs 103.53 crore in Phase 1 (2024-25) from the Project Approval Board (PAB) in December 2023.

The 13 DIETs that received funding include: Aligarh, Agra, Gorakhpur, Barabanki, Kanpur Dehat, Jaunpur, Kushinagar, Meerut, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Prayagraj, Varanasi, and Lucknow.

Furthermore, in Phase 2 (2025-26), proposals for 15 additional DIETs have been submitted for approval by the PAB. These include: Ghazipur, Bareilly, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Mathura, Pratapgarh, Bhadohi, Azamgarh, Unnao, Hathras, Kanpur Nagar, Sultanpur, Firozabad, Shravasti, Baghpat, and Kaushambi.