IISER Pune, MSFDA Ink MoU to Train 5,500 College Professors Across Maharashtra; Details Here

The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) has announced a collaboration with the Maharashtra State Faculty Development Academy (MSFDA) to create online and offline workshops focused on incorporating inquiry-based teaching skills and research-based pedagogies, among other things, in science and mathematics teaching. 

In this approach, an MoU was inked by IISER Pune and MSFDA. Previously, school teachers in Maharashtra were taught, and now IISER Pune has launched a new training program for college and university-level teachers.

Earlier, the initiatives of IISER Pune were focused at the UG and PG levels. During this, teachers across the country had benefited from workshops conducted by IISER Pune under multiple initiatives.

Some of them included those which required conducting via Centre of Excellence in Science and Mathematics Education (CoESME) under the of Education, Government of India.

The collaborative initiative intends to train 5,500 teachers in Maharashtra over the course of multiple phases. With a multidisciplinary approach that covers curriculum, innovation, inclusiveness, and reasoning, the goal is to simplify higher education.

Nipun Vinayak, Executive Director, MSFDA said, “In collaboration with all universities and Institutes of Eminence, MSFDA will help streamline higher education”.

For many years, IISER Pune has been trying to train teachers and improve their teaching skills across India. 

Earlier this year, the institute completed the establishment of the Department of Science Education, where tutors will conduct research on how to improve school teaching. This will be the first dedicated department among the seven IISERs once it is operational. 

Pune colleges and universities have started offline sessions as of October 11, 2021. Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister, has previously stated that the state government has agreed to permit the reopening of higher education institutions in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and even rural districts. 

The decision to reopen the schools and universities was made during a weekly review conference in which government officials evaluated the current COVID-19 situation and readiness to enable offline classes.