Central University of Jammu leads innovation in Teacher Education through ITEP curriculum workshop

JAMMU: The Central University of Jammu organised a consultative workshop on the Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) Curriculum Framework today. Hon’ble Vice Chancellor Prof. Sanjeev Jain set the direction for the event through an insightful presidential address. Across the university, he is recognised for encouraging innovation in curriculum development and strengthening institutional culture. Prof. Jain emphasised the need to redesign teacher education in a way that responds to contemporary demands.

He stressed that integrated programmes like ITEP must reflect the realities of today’s learners. Prof. Jain highlighted the growing significance of Generative AI, Digital Learning Environments, and Student-Centred Pedagogies, and urged the department to incorporate these elements meaningfully into the curriculum. He said that the aim should be to make pedagogy relevant, engaging, and aligned with the aspirations of modern classrooms.

The workshop drew substantial depth from the expert insights of Prof. Laxmidhar Behera from RIE, NCERT, Bhubaneswar. His presentation offered participants a clear and practical understanding of how ITEP is being implemented at RIE. He discussed the structure of the programme, the design of four-year courses, the integration of practicum with theory, and the overall experience of students and faculty at RIE. He emphasised how thoughtful planning, structured field engagement, and strong faculty mentoring have allowed RIE to successfully adopt the ITEP model.

Prof. Rajeev Rattan Sharma, Head of the Department of Education at the University of Jammu, guided the discussion with his extensive experience in teacher education. He offered clear inputs on structuring credit hours, organising courses, and ensuring academic coherence in the ITEP design.

Prof. Asit K. Mantry, Head of the Department of Educational Studies, Central University of Jammu, delivered the welcome address. He acknowledged the Honourable Vice Chancellor’s continuous guidance and highlighted the department’s dedication to building a strong and forward-looking foundation for ITEP. Prof. Mantry initiated the academic discussion with a reflective note on the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP), stressing its emphasis on bringing the best minds into teacher education and raising the academic stature of the profession.

Following this, Prof. J. N. Baliya introduced the objectives of the workshop. He stressed adherence to the guidelines of NCTE and UGC and emphasised the importance of aligning the draft curriculum with regulatory expectations.

Prof. Uday Pratap Singh, Associate Dean Academics and Sh. Ashish Suri, CoE shared their views on various technical aspects of the curriculum.  Programme Coordinators, Dr. Kiran and Dr. Aman presented the draft scheme of B.A.–B.Ed. and B.Sc. B.Ed. followed by open discussion. In this workshop Dr. S. K. Panda from University of Jammu and Dr. Rakesh Bharti from Cluster University of Jammu also took part as subject experts. Deans and Heads of various schools and departments of Central University of Jammu witnessed this workshop as experts in their respective area.

The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Prof. Ritu Bakshi. She expressed her gratitude to Honourable Vice Chancellor Prof. Sanjeev Jain, experts, faculties, and participating scholars for their active engagement, noting that the collaborative spirit demonstrated during the workshop would help refine the curriculum further.