Mamta Saikia
CEO – Bharti Foundation
Education is constantly evolving with teachers at the forefront steering the change to provide students with the best learning experience. In the panoramic view of new-age education, the teacher’s role has become increasingly demanding to bring transformation through technology, infusing innovation and creativity in teaching methods.
The days of ‘Sage on the Stage’ and dependence on textbooks only are things of the past. With various resources available online, teaching and learning have moved beyond textbooks. Teachers are turning towards online platforms and tools, seeking solutions to energize their classrooms. As per the UDISE+ 2021-22 report, there are 9.5 million teachers with more than 5 million in government and government-aided schools in India. The remaining teachers are in private and other schools. They need regular upgrades in skills, and professional development along with updates on teaching-learning resources to engage the students meaningfully in classrooms.
Bharti Foundation recently launched TheTeacherApp – a one-stop solution for teachers. The app uses technology to empower India’s teaching community impacting millions of student-beneficiaries. It helps educators improve the learning experiences of students and set new thresholds of teaching-learning. The app is a welcoming space for teachers to learn, engage, and explore new skills, ideas, and resources. It empowers them to look at schools holistically and find resources to help them in their journey of building schools of excellence.
The app enables teachers come together, even from the most remote locations of the country and form an online community to inspire each other and share best practices while successfully accomplishing their teaching priorities. With this user-friendly app in their palms, teachers can personalize their experience on the app and learn on the go.
More than 100 hours of content including self-learning courses, webinars, podcasts, learning bytes, classroom support materials, quizzes, and activities have been curated with field-tested practices that are aligned with NEP-inspired themes such as bag less days, project-based learning, etc. The content is routed through layers of quality check ensuring its relevance and practicality. The app also extends an opportunity to teachers to get recognized for their achievements and contributions while they take charge of their professional development and strengthen their core skills.
In this age of AI, as teachers adorn the role of mentor, they must wear thinking caps and create learning opportunities for children that revolutionize today’s education and prepare the children for the future. The discussion forums and feedback channels on TheTeacherApp give teachers a space to share novel ideas, feedback, and queries making them partners in the process. Being the philanthropic arm of Bharti Enterprises, Bharti Foundation’s aim has always been to uplift the face of education infusing systemic change that empowers millions of beneficiaries. To build a positive impact in the country through education, the journey needs to start with heads of institutions and educators who can transfer the values and learnings to children. Let’s join hands in maximizing opportunities to empower educators and enable them to successfully lay a strong foundation for the youth of our country.
