Shikshak Parv 2021

Why in News

The Shiksha Parv is being celebrated by the Ministry of Education from 5^th-17^th September to recognize the contributions of teachers and to take New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 a step forward.

The Prime Minister launched multiple key initiatives in the education sector on the occasion.

Key Points

Five Initiatives Launched:
- Indian Sign Language Dictionary:
  - It was launched for the Children and persons with hearing impairments. It has 10,000 words in it.
- Talking Books:
  - These are audiobooks for the visually impaired.
- School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Framework (SQAA):
  - SQAA is a quality initiative proposed by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to provide global parameters of attainment as standards in schools affiliated to it.
  - It would address the deficiency of the absence of a common scientific framework for dimensions like curricula, pedagogy, assessment, infrastructure, inclusive practices and governance process.
- NISHTHA Teachers' Training programme for NIPUN Bharat:
  - National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA) is a capacity building programme for improving the quality of school education through integrated teacher training.
  - NIPUN (National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy) Bharat Scheme was launched to create an enabling environment to ensure universal acquisition of foundational literacy and numeracy, so that every child achieves the desired learning competencies in reading, writing and numeracy by the end of Grade 3, by 2026-27.
- Vidyanjali 2.0 Portal:
  - For facilitating education volunteers, donors and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) contributors for school development.
    - Vidyanjali Scheme is one of the innovative schemes that focus towards the improvement of literacy by offering volunteer teachers in government schools. It was launched in 2017.
Other Related Recent Initiatives:
- The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the school education programme Samagra Shiksha Scheme 2.0 till the 2025-26 financial year.
- Earlier, to mark the first anniversary of National Education Policy 2020, the Prime Minister launched the Academic Bank of Credit that will provide multiple entry and exit options for students in Higher education; 1^st Year Engineering Programmes in Regional Languages and Guidelines for Internationalization of Higher Education.
  - The initiatives launched also included Vidya Pravesh, a three month play based school preparation module for Grade 1 students; Indian Sign Language as a Subject at secondary level; NISHTHA 2.0, an integrated programme of teacher training designed by NCERT; and SAFAL (Structured Assessment For Analyzing Learning Levels), a competency based assessment framework for Grades 3, 5 and 8 in CBSE schools.
  - The event also witnessed the launch of National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR) and National Education Technology Forum (NETF).

Teachers’ Day

On 5^th September, Teachers’ Day is celebrated every year throughout India in memory of Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan on his birth anniversary.
World Teachers’ Day is celebrated on 5^th October annually to commemorate the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers.
- This instrument sets forth the rights and responsibilities of teachers, and standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, teaching and learning conditions.

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

He was born in a family in Tiruttani (Tamil Nadu) in 1888. He had been a teacher, philosopher, author and politician.
He was the first Vice President of India (1952–1962) and the second President of India from 1962 to 1967.
He was awarded knighthood in 1931. In 1954, he was awarded Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in India. He got honorary membership of the British Royal Order of Merit in 1963.

Source: IE