Delhi govt starts 5-day programme to train school teachers

New Delhi: The Delhi government has embarked on a ground-breaking initiative aimed at enhancing the educational experiences of exceptionally talented students.

The five-day training programme, known as “Project Abhishikt,” began on Tuesday at a govt school in Kalkaji and is being led by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT). This programme is designed to equip 104 teachers with the skills necessary to identify and nurture gifted students.

Project ‘Abhishikt’ focuses on four main areas that includes, detecting gifted learners, training educators to deliver a specialised curriculum, developing a curriculum tailored to these students’ unique needs, and ensuring its effective implementation. “Our objective is to bridge the gap between the students’ current abilities and their potential. By providing a specialised curriculum and support, we aim to help them achieve their best,” an SCERT representative explained.

The initiative targets students in Classes 6 and 9 who exhibit exceptional abilities. According to officials, traditional educational approaches often emphasise support for students who struggle academically, which can result in gifted students not receiving the attention they need. “Typically, the focus is on students who need extra help, and this can lead to gifted students being overlooked,” said another SCERT official.

The programme was launched by the Directorate of Education in collaboration with SCERT to identify and support gifted students from 15 government schools across Delhi. The training started with a session titled “Introduction and Understanding Giftedness,” which aimed to lay the groundwork for the teachers’ understanding of the unique needs of gifted learners. Subsequent sessions will address various aspects of the project’s rollout.

Parents have welcomed the initiative with optimism. Rajesh Kumar, whose child is in Class 9, remarked, “This programme is a fantastic development. It’s reassuring to see that the govt is taking steps to ensure that gifted students receive specialised support they deserve. I believe this will help my child and others like them to reach their full potential.”