Maharashtra: Teachers turn motivational speakers for students, fellow educators in Karmala

PUNE: Teachers have become motivational speakers in Karmala of Maharashtra's Solapur district thanks to the initiative 'Teachers Talk', which encourages them to speak on latest trends and best practices in the field of education.

The initiative, modelled on the lines of TED Talks and Josh Talks, has been introduced by the panchayat samiti in Karmala tehsil. "On the lines of TED Talks and Josh Talks, we decided to start Teachers Talk in primary and secondary schools in the tehsil. Teachers can speak about the latest topics in education and allied fields for 15 to 20 minutes in a precise and motivating manner," said Manoj Raut, the block development officer, Karmala tehsil.

The objective is to encourage teachers to be insightful, curious and keep them abreast of the global trends and developments in the field of education and allied avenues and motivate other educators, he said. The authorities brainstormed and curated 30 topics, such as the American education system, UNICEF's role in the field of education, artificial intelligence, experiments in the education sector, sports infrastructure, child psychology, robotics among others, the official said.

"The talks are organised at 17 centres in the tehsil during monthly education conferences, where teachers from schools attached to these centres meet to discuss best practices and various issues faced by them," Raut said. Two such talks have been organised so far and several teachers took part in it, he said. The talks are not restricted to teachers from government schools.

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Educators from private, aided and unaided institutions can also participate, it was stated. Balasaheb Bodakhe, a teacher from a school in Khatgaon, said he spoke about sports and the role of teachers in encouraging students who have the potential to excel in the field.

"During my Teachers Talk, I cited the example of a farm labourer's daughter who went on to win a gold medal in athletics at a national event after she received proper guidance and training at school," Bodakhe said. Similarly, Praffulata Satpute, a teacher from a primary school in Khadaki, spoke about inculcating good reading habits in children. "The initiative not only makes teachers insightful, but also helps fellow educators and students gain knowledge," she said.

The authorities have tied up with Yashkalyani Sevabhavi Sanstha, an NGO, which has agreed to give a cash prize of Rs 3,000, a certificate and medal to educators who give the best 'Teachers Talk' every month, Raut said. "We also plan to start a YouTube channel to stream these speeches, and there are plans to include the best talks in a book in the coming days," the official said.