MHRD notifies 75 Resource Centres for online training of faculty from October

NEW DELHI, MAY 4: To enhance the professional capabilities of faculty members of higher education institutions and and keep them abreast with the latest developments, the Union Government has notified 75 National Resource Centres (NRCs) across the country. The NRCs will leverage the MOOCs platform SWAYAM to develop refresher module which will include the latest trends in different disciplines by June 15 each year.

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has launched the initiative targeting 1.5 million higher education faculty using SWAYAM. In the first phase, as many as 75 discipline-specific (NRCs) would prepare online training material with a focus on latest developments in the discipline, new & emerging trends, pedagogical improvements and methodologies for transacting revised curriculum.

Under this initiative, all in-service teachers, irrespective of their subject and seniority will be able to keep themselves abreast of the latest developments in their disciplines through the technology-based online refresher course.

A varied set of institutions such as, Centres under the Ministry’s Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching (PMMMNMTT) located in Central Universities, IISc, IUCAA, IITs, IISERs, NITs, State Universities ; UGC’s Human Resource Development Centres( HRDCs), National Institutes for Technical Teachers Training (NITTTRs), IIITs, and Open Universities have been notified as NRCs.

According to the MHRD, these NRCs cover wide ranging disciplines of Social Sciences, Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Design & Manufacturing, Humanities, Language Teaching, Commerce, Management, Education Planning and Administration, Public Policy, Leadership & Governance, Library & Information Science, Astronomy & Astrophysics, Assessment and Evaluation, Pedagogy and research methods , cutting edge areas of Nano-sciences, Internet of Things, etc.

“Under this initiative, all in-service teachers, irrespective of their subject and seniority will have an enabling opportunity to keep abreast of the latest developments in their disciplines through the technology based online refresher course,” the MHRD notification read, adding, “the NRCs will develop the Refresher Module which will include the latest trends in their earmarked discipline by 15th June each year.”

The training materials will be uploaded and made available through SWAYAM to all the teachers w.e.f. 1st October each year and based on the response, the course can be repeated in the following January. NRC will publish the list of the faculty, who have been certified by 31st December, 2018. UGC will issue order/regulations for the purpose of Career Progression. The NRCs are expected to revolutionize professional development of faculty by catering to massive numbers by leveraging ICT and online technology platform of SWAYAM.

List of NRC Disciplines