600 PG teachers across TN to receive residential training this year

CHENNAI: In a bid to improve the standards of government schools, the State Council for Education Research and Training (SCERT) has decided to provide residential training to around 600 post-graduate teachers across the state on the training of trainers (TOT) mode this year. The teachers can participate in this year-long training on a voluntary basis. Earlier, the training was usually limited to a day due to logistical difficulties.

In a letter to the SCERT, the school education secretary stated that it has become clear to educationists around the country that in-service training of teachers is key to improving student achievement.

However, training PG teachers who handle classes 11 and 12 is difficult due to various reasons, including the practical difficulty of teachers being away from school during the training session and ensuring the content of the training is challenging for them, considering they are highly qualified in their subjects, he said.

SCERT initiated the TOT programme last year on a pilot basis for PG teachers. The teachers underwent 30 days of training in six phases spread across a year and this year it be expanded to more teachers. However, as per the department sources, the training is not mandatory.

Moreover, the teachers who participate in the programme will be given follow-up support. The department has also proposed to conduct a baseline and end-line assessment at the school level, through which the impact of these programs on the students will be measured, read the letter from the secretary.