Drawing inspiration from the NEP 2020, whose prime focus lies in rendering learning enjoyable and stress-free, the theme of the first day of Shiksha Saptah was Teaching Learning Material. More than 6.2 crore students and teachers from more than 5.5 lakh schools of India participated in the inaugural day of the programme. This was a collaborative undertaking to build capacity for educationists and students to make quality, curriculum-relevant, exciting instructional materials from available local resources, and promote interactive, participatory, engaging learning.

Envisioned in NEP 2020, this approach to education proves the requirement of very dynamic and stimulating teaching methodologies for teaching methods that can cater to the diverse needs of learners. The first day of Shiksha Saptah was dedicated to Teaching Learning Materials; it had a direct reflection in that very vision, with the prime motto of equipping the teachers with tools and resources to make learning accessible and enjoyable.

Throughout the day, workshops and interactive sessions were conducted in which teachers and students designed and developed a number of innovations in teaching aids. The workshops underlined the need to use local resources in the production of materials relevant to the context and familiar to students’ everyday life. From handmade charts and models to digital presentations and multimedia resources, the range of materials produced was diverse and full of imagination.

Student engagement in the process of creating content was very fundamental to the activities of the day. Through the development of hands-on projects, students not only engaged themselves in enhancing their knowledge on the subject matter but also developed critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills. This made learning not confined to textbooks but widened into practical aspects or applications of real life.

For the teachers themselves, much was learned from the theme of the day. Workshops provided new insights and fresh strategies for delivering effective teaching. The sharing of best practice ideas and engaging with fellow peers in doing so, educators found ways to incorporate materials to engage students within lessons. This put the teachers in a community setting where their ongoing professional development and support continue.

The impact of the day’s events went beyond the classroom. Parents and the local community were also invited to participate in this larger support for the educational process. Many schools then organized exhibitions and presentations where students showed their creations, so parents got the opportunity to see with their own eyes that new approaches were being adopted. This helped underline the fact that education is a collaborative effort whereby every stakeholder plays an important role in nurturing a learning-friendly atmosphere.

Shiksha Saptah’s first day heralded the immense potential of NEP 2020 in changing the educational landscape of the country. The focal point for this event was to prepare and use exciting teaching material with a view to making the process of learning enjoyable and enriching. This provided the educators and students with hands-on tools for the same and enabled a cultural change towards more interactive and student-centered learning.

On the very first day of Shiksha Saptah, the theme of Teaching Learning Material brought out the vision of NEP 2020 in the past, and became a reality with the active participation of more than 6.2 crore students and teachers of 5.5 lakh schools, thereby showing what collaboration and innovation could do in education. This made for a very interactive and lively learning environment, really setting the tone for the remainder of the week’s celebrations by encouraging the use of local material of good quality.