A 10- day teacher capacity building workshop for over 60 government school teachers from Jharkhand began on Tuesday at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune. The workshop is being organised under the iRISE programme which aims to inspire teachers of India in research, innovation and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education. The initiative is being done in collaboration with Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC), Ranchi and the workshop will run till June 19, 2025.
The iRISE programme is a collaborative initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, IISER Pune, British Council, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), Tata Trusts and Tata Technologies, implemented by IISER Pune.
The programme designed specifically for teachers of classes 6 to 10, focuses on preparing a cadre of Innovation Champions (Master Trainers) in various districts of Jharkhand. Participants are being trained in effective strategies for promoting activity- based learning, experiential pedagogy and scientific temper, to simplify the teaching of complex concepts in mathematics and science. Each teacher will be provided with an iRISE STEM kit to help them implement innovative, hands-on activities in their schools. After the training, these participants will lead cascade workshops in their respective districts, taking the benefits of the programme to a wider group of teachers.
The second phase of the programme was inaugurated by Professor Sunil Bhagwat, Director, IISER Pune. At the inaugural ceremony, Professor Arnab Mukherjee, Dean (International Relations & Outreach), Prof. Devapriya Chattopadhyay, Associate Dean (International Relations & Outreach), Shivani Pals and Dr Asim Auti welcomed the dignitaries and participants while Dr Chandrasheel Bhagwat presented a detailed overview of the iRISE programme, highlighting its objectives and long- term impact.
In her address, Professor Devapriya Chattopadhyay emphasised on the importance of developing a scientific attitude and encouraging curiosity in the classroom while Professor Arnab Mukherjee emphasised on the need to engage students with practical aspects of science and mathematics rather than restricting them to theoretical knowledge.
In his keynote address, Professor Sunil Bhagwat underlined the irreplaceable value of good teaching and the need to promote independent thinking and innovation among students. Bhagwat noted the strong decision- making skills often found in students from non- urban backgrounds and urged teachers to nurture this potential to support their career development and also expressed confidence that programmes like iRISE will help build the next generation of talent for the country.
State Project Director Shashi Ranjan and State Programme Officer Avinav Kumar of JEPC extended their best wishes to the participants and the iRISE team. Dr. Aseem Auti, Principal Technical Officer, NPTED, Nitin Tiwane, Project Manager, iRISE, members of the Science Media Centre team and members of the iRISE implementation team were also present at the inaugural ceremony.
The first day of the workshop began with an informative and inspiring session by Padma Shri Arvind Gupta. Through his iconic ‘Toys from Waste’ demonstration, he showed how simple, low- cost materials can be transformed into powerful learning tools while he also delivered an unforgettable session on how science can be taught with wonder and simplicity, thereby promoting curiosity, creativity and joy in learning and scientific temper.