By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 10: Aiming to empower educators from rural parts of Meghalaya, the Department of Education of North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, in collaboration with the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR), North Eastern Regional Centre, Guwahati, successfully concluded a hybrid workshop titled ‘ICT-Focused Pedagogies: Empowering Teacher Educators in Rural Meghalaya’ on Thursday.
The workshop, coordinated by Dr. Vandana, Dr. Euodia Myrthong, Dr. T. Vijay Kumar and Dr. Mukesh Srivastava, brought together educators from across the region to address the digital divide in rural classrooms through practical training and expert-led discussions. A total of 200 participants took part, with 60 attending in person and 140 joining online from Meghalaya, Nagaland, Assam and other parts of India.
During the workshop, Vice Chancellor (In-Charge) of NEHU, Prof. SM Sungoh, highlighted the transformative potential of ICT in rural education. “In today’s digital era, these tools have moved from being optional to absolutely vital for ensuring equitable learning opportunities,” Prof. Sungoh, who is also the Chairperson of the Meghalaya Education Commission, said.
On the other hand, Dr. Upasana Ray from NCERT, New Delhi, led a hands-on technical session, introducing participants to interactive tools like Google Forms, Quizizz, Kahoot, Mentimeter and e-Jaadui Pitara.
During the programme, teachers engaged in creating dynamic digital lessons aimed at enhancing student participation in low-resource environments.
A thought-provoking panel discussion on implementing ICT in rural classrooms was also held, during which panellists proposed practical solutions, including phased technology integration and tailored training modules for rural contexts.
The inaugural session also saw the official release of a significant academic publication, ‘Digital Transformation in Teacher Education: The Vision of NEP 2020’, co-edited by Dr. T. Vijay Kumar, Dr. M. Ravi Babu and Dr. T. Linga Murthy.