Promoting Innovative Practices and Experiments in Education for Schools and Teacher Education
Institutions
Introduction
In the early sixties, the then Department of Extension Programme for Secondary Education launched a
scheme entitled “Seminar Readings Programme for Teachers and Heads of Secondary Schools”. The scheme
provided an opportunity to teachers to write detailed papers in English or in any other modern Indian
language on teaching processes which they found effective. The papers were submitted to the concerned
department of the NCERT. From time to time, changes were made in the scheme and its scope was widened
with regard to its nomenclature, nature of participation, eligibility criteria, specification of themes,
procedure of submission of papers, short listing of papers, evaluation criteria, number of awards,
eligibility for cash prize, amount of cash prize etc. Till 2004-05, the scheme was known as “All India
Competition on Innovative Practices and Experiments for School Teachers and Teacher Educators”. There
was a provision of 100 cash prizes of Rs. 2,000/- each (70 for school teachers: 50 for elementary level
and 20 at secondary level, and 30 for teacher educators: 20 for elementary teacher educators and 10 for
secondary teacher educators). The scheme was reviewed by the NCERT during 2005-07 with the help of
faculty members of RIEs and some external experts in the area of school education and teacher education.
The review led to the reformulation of the scheme as “All India Competition on Innovative Practices and
Experiments in Education for Schools and Teacher Education Institutions”. After the implementation of
the scheme for about ten years, it was felt that individual teachers and teacher educators attempting
innovations needed to be accorded recognition by giving those awards at the national level. Therefore,
the scheme was renamed as “National Awards for Innovative Practices and Experiments in Education
for Schools and Teacher Education Institutions” from 2017-18 onwards till 2022-23. National
Education Policy 2020 highlighted the importance of promoting innovative practices in education through
motivation and incentivisation, while underpinning that teachers be given continuous opportunities for
self-improvement and to learn the latest innovations and advances in their professions. In this context,
from 2023-24 onwards, the programme is renamed as “Promoting Innovative Practices and
Experiments in Education for Schools and Teacher Education Institutions”. Under the
programme, 60 Innovative Practices and Experiments (40 under School Education and 20 under Teacher
Education) will be identified and promoted, and a seed money of Rs.10,000/- will be given to each
selected innovative practice/experiment.
