The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) organized a 2-day Year End Seminar on 30-31 January 2024 for Sharing Best Practices and Periodic Review/continuous evaluation of the National Mission for Mentoring (NMM) with all stakeholders. Prof. Yogesh Singh, Chairperson, NCTE graced the Year End Seminar as Chief Guest and addressed the dignitaries and stakeholders present there. Later, he also launched the NMM web page in the presence of Ms. Kesang Y. Sherpa, Member Secretary NCTE for the ongoing support and guidance for mentors and other stakeholders. The launch of the NMM website is an important step towards enhancing the mentorship ecosystem in the country.
This seminar aimed to bring together the 60 National Mentors, Mentees, Principals, Nodal Officers, academic dignitaries and educational administrators of the country to discuss and review the progress of NMM. NCTE launched NMM in pilot mode on 29th July 2022 in selected 30 Central Schools (15 KVs, 10 JNVs, and 5 CBSE) across the country. NCTE also organized a 2-day capacity building workshop for the onboarded 60 mentors on 31st May and 1st June 2023 for the effective implementation of NMM as envisaged in NEP 2020.
NMM, as envisaged in para 15.11 of the National Education Policy (NEP 2020), has been established to create a large pool of outstanding professionals willing to provide professional and personal support to school teachers across the country and ensure their continuous professional development. NMM recognizes the crucial role of mentoring in the professional and personal development of teachers, as well as the positive impact it has on student learning outcomes. It aims to create a network of mentors who will guide and support teachers in developing the necessary 21st-century skills. This program is not only enhancing the teaching abilities of the mentee teachers but also facilitating a culture of continuous learning, enabling teachers to stay updated and relevant in today’s dynamic educational landscape.
Through this seminar, NCTE aimed to foster a collaborative environment for sharing best practices and experiences, as well as to provide a platform for Mentors and Mentees to voice their challenges and suggestions for upgradation.
The seminar began with an overview of the progress made in NMM. It was highlighted that the 60 Mentors conducted mentoring sessions in areas such as Instructional Leadership Skills, Digital Education, Socio-emotional learning, Inclusive Education, Professionalism and ethics, Classroom Management, Building 21st Century Skills, Interpersonal Skills/Community Engagement, Action Research, Holistic Assessment, Art Integrated Pedagogy, Teachers’ Mental Health Management etc. through NMM portal. This was followed by presentations from mentors and renowned educators of the nation and experts in the field of mentoring, who shared their insights and experiences on the importance of mentoring in shaping the future of education.
In the subsequent technical sessions of the seminar, mentors had the opportunity to present their best practices and success stories in mentoring. These presentations served as a source of inspiration and learning for all the participants, as they were able to gain new perspectives and ideas for their own mentoring practices. This provided a platform for open discussions about the issues and constraints faced, and the possible solutions to overcome them.
On the second day, NCTE facilitated a periodic review/continuous evaluation of the NMM, where Mentors and Mentees were able to provide feedback and suggestions for its improvement. The participants deliberated insightfully and proposed recommendations for its future direction. NCTE gathered feedback from stakeholders involved, to ensure NMM’s effectiveness.
The seminar and periodic review will serve as a valuable resource for the NCTE to further strengthen and upgrade the NMM and do necessary upgrades before the national rollout. Overall, the Year End Seminar was a highly engaging and productive event, bringing together academic dignitaries and all stakeholders to reflect, learn, and collaborate on the important role of mentoring in education.