DIET Leh teams up with 17000ft Foundation for Balvatika rollout

LEH: The District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), Leh, in collaboration with the 17000ft Foundation, on Thursday commenced a three-day Balvatika Training Programme for teachers from 25 sample schools across Leh district, aiming to strengthen early childhood education under the NIPUN Bharat Mission.

Around 60 teachers are participating in the programme, which seeks to build the capacity of educators to implement contextualised Model Balvatikas in schools and improve foundational learning outcomes through child-centric teaching practices.

Organised in accordance with the NIPUN Bharat Mission guidelines, the training focuses on developing joyful, activity-based learning environments by promoting the effective use of child-friendly and indigenous teaching-learning materials made from wood, cotton and other locally available resources suited to young learners.

The inaugural session was attended by Principal, DIET Leh, S.D. Namgial, who underlined the importance of early childhood education in building a strong foundation for lifelong learning. He urged teachers to adopt innovative, play-based and experiential teaching methods that respond to the developmental needs of children and encouraged participants to apply the knowledge gained during the training in their respective schools.

The technical sessions are being conducted by Archana and her team from the 17000ft Foundation, who are introducing participants to the Model Balvatika framework, activity-based pedagogy, classroom organisation and the effective use of contextualised teaching-learning materials to promote holistic development among young learners. According to DIET Leh, the three-day programme is expected to enhance teachers’ professional capacity to establish vibrant and child-friendly Balvatikas, supporting the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the NIPUN Bharat Mission for achieving foundational literacy and numeracy across the Union Territory of Ladakh.