Scaling STEM Education: COL-CEMCA's Online Maths Skill Training Empowers Over 3,800 Teachers Nationwide
In a major stride toward transforming mathematics education in India, the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA), in collaboration with Bharat Innovation Global (BIG), is leading a national initiative that’s reshaping teacher development in the digital era. Its 42-hour, six-week Online Skill Training Programme for secondary-level mathematics teachers is already making measurable classroom impact and setting a new benchmark for professional learning at scale.
Held from June 2 to 19, 2025, and 1-18 July 2025, it is also supporting educators in connecting teaching and learning with real-world applications in mathematics. Additionally, the initiative focuses on developing 21st-century pedagogical skills and creating a community of practice to foster ongoing professional growth.
In his address at the inaugural session of the training programme on 2 June 2025, Dr B. Shadrach, Director, COL-CEMCA, reiterated the importance of real-life use cases in STEM education to enhance relevance, engagement, and lifelong skills. He highlighted impactful applications across agriculture, healthcare, infrastructure, and education—such as AI in diagnostics, smart cities, renewable energy, and precision farming. He underscored how integrating STEM with real-world challenges fosters innovation, critical thinking, and prepares learners for meaningful careers and informed citizenship in a technology-driven world.
The six-week programme received an overwhelming response with 6,449 registrations from across the country. Of these, over 3,800 teachers actively participated, highlighting the urgent need for professional development in secondary-level mathematics.
According to a feedback survey conducted with 1,380 responses from the participating teachers:
- 85.3% reported implementing new strategies in their classrooms.
- 78.6% noted improved conceptual mastery in mathematics; and
- 58% found effective ways to connect abstract concepts with real-life applications.
The programme was born out of prior engagement with 90 mathematics teachers under the Teacher in the Loop AI initiative, which revealed three key gaps: conceptual fragility, procedural teaching reliance, and a disconnect with real-world applications. This informed the design of the training, which blended live sessions with self-paced modules to provide deep, flexible, and applicable learning.
The teachers appreciated the training’s relevance, especially the immediate applicability of strategies in real classrooms without disrupting regular school duties. Many noted a shift from textbook-centric to more experiential and conceptual teaching methods.
With the successful completion of Phase 1, Phase 2 of the programme began on July 1, 2025, and will continue through July 18, 2025. This second half delivers the remaining 21 hours of the 42-hour curriculum, deepening the instructional focus and supporting participants toward completion and certification.
