Empowering Educators through Open Educational Resources

In a significant collaboration aimed at transforming classroom teaching through accessible and innovative learning tools, the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA), the Central Institute of Educational Technology-National Council of Educational Research and Training (CIET-NCERT), and Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women are jointly conducting a five-day residential training programme on Open Educational Resources (OER): Innovating Education in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, from 2-6 June 2025.

Designed specifically for teaching faculty in the education sector across southern states, the programme brought together 50 participants representing State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), State Institutes of Education (SIEs), and Regional Institute of Education (RIE) from Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, and Andaman & Nicobar to explore the philosophy, application, and creation of OER. The training aimed to equip educators with practical knowledge to integrate OER into their teaching practices, enhancing both learning outcomes and educational inclusivity.

Inaugurating the programme, Professor V. Bharathi Harishankar, Vice-Chancellor of Avinashilingam University, emphasised that this was not just a routine training session. “Educators often spend significant time preparing content. OER provides a solid base for reference and adaptation, offering flexibility and innovation in teaching,” she said, while acknowledging the initial scepticism from administrators and mixed responses from faculty. “Interestingly, students embraced OER wholeheartedly, as it gave them access to high-quality teaching materials, free of cost.”

Dr B. Shadrach, Director of COL-CEMCA, highlighted OER’s alignment with global educational goals and national priorities. “OER is no longer new, but technology has revolutionised how we create, access, and use these resources. OERs support the aims of NEP 2020 and SDG 4 by promoting affordable and inclusive education,” he noted. He also traced the international journey of OER—from the Capetown and Dakar declarations to the 2019 UNESCO recommendations—underscoring their role in democratising education.

Professor Amarendra P. Behera, Joint Director, CIET-NCERT, reiterated the importance of blending education and technology. “With AI-enabled translation, NCERT has made textbooks available in 22 Indian languages, and English. OER and technology together help overcome linguistic, geographical, and financial barriers, making education more equitable,” he shared. He also provided a glimpse of the various OER platforms created by the Indian government, such as SWAYAM, DIKSHA, and various Indian Institutes of Technology.

During the five days, the participants would engage in a dynamic mix of lectures, hands-on sessions, and collaborative projects. From understanding the principles of open licensing to navigating OER repositories and developing context-specific resources, the training would cover a broad spectrum. The ultimate goal of the training is to empower teachers to adopt, adapt, and contribute to the global OER community.