DIMAPUR: A coordination meeting on the implementation of the National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat) Mission was held at the Deputy Commissioner’s Office, Dimapur, on October 12.
According to DIPR report, the meeting was chaired by ADC Dimapur Dr. Diana Patton, who thanked stakeholders for their participation. She informed that NIPUN Bharat, launched by the Ministry of Education in July 2021, aims to ensure universal Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) for every child by the end of Grade 3 by 2026-2027. The mission covers children aged three to nine years, from Balvatika to Grade 3, focusing on essential reading, writing and numeracy skills during the foundational years.
A PowerPoint presentation highlighted the importance of FLN, Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and teacher training. It also outlined Vidya Pravesh, a three month play based school preparation module developed by NCERT, designed to ensure smooth transition to Grade 1 through games, stories, songs and interactive activities.
The presentation further covered Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK), a technology enabled platform for monitoring school, teacher and student data to identify learning gaps, track attendance and improve outcomes. Digitisation of Holistic Progress Cards and Academic Record Collection was also emphasised.
Key points discussed included the inclusion of private schools in the programme, which involves a policy decision to be taken up with the State Government. It was also resolved to formulate evaluation plans at both state and district levels, with Dimapur district developing a plan suited to its specific needs. The involvement of NGOs in the education sector was also deliberated to strengthen implementation.
The meeting highlighted the need to clearly define roles and responsibilities of district level stakeholders, with further deliberations proposed for the next sitting.
