Sri Lanka team visits schools in Gurgaon, to take back lessons - The Times of India

Gurgaon: A high-level delegation from Sri Lanka, comprising 18 members from their ministry of education and Unicef officials, conducted a visit to three govt schools in the city to study NIPUN Bharat mission's implementation.The city, which achieved the top position in Nipun Haryana rankings with 91% in 2023, hopes to retain the leading position this year as well and the delegation aims is to adopt strategies learnt from here in Sri Lankan schools.The team, headed by deputy director-general of Sri Lanka National Institute of Education, undertook a three-day study of the execution of the primary education initiative, which stresses on foundational literacy and numeracy skills in primary school students.The delegates observed Classes 1 to 3 in GPS Arjun Nagar, GGMSPS Sukhrali and GMSPS, Sector 43. They also visited the schools' libraries and laboratories under the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Mission, which operates as part of Nipun Haryana Mission.They interacted with students and asked them questions about their school and learning processes and learnt about the educational methodology from the teaching staff.District nodal officer of NIPUN Bharat mission, Manoj Kumar Lakra, said that following the team's visit to the city, the delegation would proceed to inspect schools in Panchkula.The teams also held discussions with educators and students on NIPUN Bharat curriculum which is issued by Haryana education department and covers Hindi, Maths and English language textbooks, teacher guides and workbooks.Officials of the education department told the delegates about NIPUN Haryana Mentor App, which facilitates mentoring and monitoring activities. They also showcased the setup box called S Box, developed by Sampark Foundation, through a smart board demonstration. The box has chapters of English, Hindi and Maths, stories, poems, worksheets and even quizzes for the students."We have plans to explore Sri Lanka's education framework through an exchange initiative. Over the past two years, we have implemented various initiatives, including NIPUN newsletter launched for the city in 2023, a tongue twister booklet introduced in 2024, Nipun logography introduced last year and the NIPUN balgeet booklet," said Lakra.There are total of 366 primary schools spread in 65 clusters in the city and 48 assistant block resource coordinators. While NIPUN Bharat covers two subjects, Hindi and Maths under its FLN campaign, Haryana has made English a part of it. The state has also included Classes 4 and 5 in it, which otherwise covers Classes 1 to 3. NIPUN Bharat is a central scheme under the aegis of the Samagra Shiksha project. It aims to develop foundational learning skills in Hindi and Maths by 2026-27.