Teachers’ training for new curriculum back after census work

Pune: Maharashtra has revived its statewide teacher-training programme for the implementation of the new school curriculum after previously postponing the exercise due to preparations linked to the upcoming Census 2027.

In a fresh circular issued by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Maharashtra, on Thursday, the state laid out a detailed roadmap for training teachers of Stds II, III, IV and VI, with special focus on the next phase of implementation for Std VI.

The curriculum reform is being introduced in phases under a govt resolution issued in July 2025. While state-level training for teachers handling Stds II, III and IV is over, the training process for Std VI teachers is set to begin.

According to the schedule, a four-day training programme will be conducted for Std VI teachers. State-level Training of Trainers (ToT) programmes for Marathi and Urdu-medium educators will be held from June 22 to June 25, followed by district and taluka-level cascaded training sessions extending into July.

“Districts must ensure timely nomination of competent trainers and complete the training of all teachers within the prescribed schedule so that effective implementation of the new curriculum can take place across Maharashtra,” Kamaladevi Awate, joint director of SCERT Maharashtra, said in the directive.

Govt school teacher Ashok Mahale said, “The move restarts one of Maharashtra’s largest teacher-capacity-building exercises after administrative disruptions caused by Census-related preparations. The circular allows districts to conduct training in multiple batches wherever teachers are engaged in national assignments such as census work or voter-registration activities.”

The state has also adopted differentiated training arrangements based on the medium of instruction. While Marathi and other language-medium teachers will undergo training through state, district and taluka levels, Urdu-medium teachers will be trained through a two-tier model involving only state and district-level programmes.

Officials have been directed to ensure that curriculum handbooks, training modules and reading material reach schools and training centres in advance. Teachers attending the sessions have been told to bring curriculum documents already supplied to schools.

SCERT has fixed participation targets of 244 Marathi-medium trainers and 240 Urdu-medium trainers for the state-level ToT programme. Districts have been instructed to nominate experienced educators, curriculum experts, DIET faculty members, academic supervisors and skilled teachers capable of subsequently training educators at the district level.

The circular also emphasises inclusion, directing districts to involve special educators and resource persons so that implementation of the new curriculum remains accessible and effective for all learners.

Education experts say the initiative is crucial because curriculum reform succeeds only when teachers receive adequate academic support and classroom-oriented guidance. The programme is expected to equip teachers with new pedagogical approaches, assessment practices and learning outcomes prescribed under the revised curriculum framework.