News


NIOS and COL-CEMCA Draft Vision for Vocationalisation of Education in India

NOIDA, 3 September 2025

In a landmark development, the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA) have jointly drafted a vision statement and created a roadmap, committing to vocationalising education for 1-1.5 crore people in India.

“By 2030, NIOS will set the benchmark for scalable, equitable, flexible, and technology-powered vocational education, preparing all learners for industry-aligned, future-ready skills for meaningful livelihoods and lifelong growth and for global placement.”

The vision statement and roadmap were developed during an envisioning workshop, which was jointly organised by NIOS and COL-CEMCA at the NIOS offices in NOIDA on 2 September 2025. The aim was to successfully scale up and implement vocational, skill-based training and the vocationalisation of education through various stakeholders, with NIOS in the lead.

The workshop, which led to the creation of the vision statement and roadmap, was chaired by Prof Dr Nirmaljeet Singh Kalsi, the Principal Consultant of COL-CEMCA. Key discussions included collaborations with industry partners for course development, certifying vocational skills courses, aligning with the national framework and bridging the skills gap, and empowering India's workforce.

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Tech-Enabled Future for Community Radio: COL-CEMCA and Reliance Foundation Lay Groundwork for Digital Transformation

New Delhi, 5 August 2025

A high-level brainstorming session on “Empowering Community Radio through Tech-Enabled Outreach” was jointly organised by the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA) and Reliance Foundation (RF) at the CEMCA office in New Delhi. The event marked a significant milestone in promoting modern, technology-driven innovations for Community Radio Stations (CRSs) across the country.

The session brought together thought leaders, technical experts, and practitioners from across the community radio ecosystem to explore technology-enabled models for improving content delivery, engagement, and the overall impact of CRSs throughout India.

The event opened with remarks by Ms Monica Sharma, Programme Coordinator at COL-CEMCA, followed by an introductory address from Mr Rameswaran Kailasam, Lead-Knowledge Management & Digital Solutions at RF. He underscored the central role of content creation in the success of community radio and reiterated RF’s commitment to supporting CRS operations by offering platforms and building applications for content generation and management, aimed at driving rural development.

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NIOS and COL-CEMCA Launch Event Report on Future-ready Vocational Educators Programme

The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), in collaboration with the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA), officially launched the event report of the Capacity Building Programme on Developing Future-ready Vocational Educators, held from 15 to 17 May 2025 at NIOS Headquarters, NOIDA, Uttar Pradesh.

The report was unveiled in the presence of Professor Akhilesh Mishra, Chairperson, NIOS; Dr B. Shadrach, Director, COL-CEMCA; Professor (Dr) Nirmaljeet Singh Kalsi, Former Chairperson of NCVET; along with NIOS Directors and staff. It documents key outcomes, insights, and actionable recommendations from the programme, which engaged over 70 vocational educators from Accredited Vocational Institutions across northern and central India.

This initiative marks a significant step towards strengthening the quality of vocational education at the school level. The training focused on blended learning approaches, integration of digital tools, instructional design, and 21st-century pedagogical practices—equipping educators to meet evolving learner and industry needs.

 

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National Online Training Transforms Maths Pedagogy for over 2000 Teachers

The Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA), in partnership with Bharat Innovation Global (BIG), successfully concluded a landmark 42-hour online skill training programme for secondary-level mathematics teachers in July 2025. The virtual convocation, held on 31 July, celebrated the achievements of over 2,000 teachers who completed the six-week programme, which engaged more than 3,800 educators nationwide.

Designed to align with the NEP 2020’s emphasis on innovative and inclusive pedagogy, the programme focused on deepening conceptual understanding, strengthening digital teaching skills, and connecting mathematical concepts to real-world applications. The training was delivered through a blended model of live sessions and self-paced learning. As teachers shared heartfelt testimonials during the virtual convocation, the programme’s success was evident—not only in knowledge gained but in renewed motivation to make mathematics enjoyable and meaningful for learners.

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COL-CEMCA Charts Expansion of AI in TVET Training in Maldives, Malaysia, and Brunei

Building on the success of its inaugural AI in TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) programme, the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA) conducted a series of consultative meetings with two participants from Maldives, six from Malaysia, and seven from Brunei Darussalam to refine and expand its upcoming training initiatives. These sessions, held in mid-July 2025, were aimed at capturing first-hand feedback from educators who completed CEMCA’s AI training in April 2025.

The consultations revealed strong appreciation for the course content, with participants calling it comprehensive and relevant. However, there was a resounding call for more hands-on, practice-oriented learning and a flexible, modular delivery model better suited to the needs of working professionals. A critical takeaway was the unified recommendation to adopt a Train-the-Trainer (ToT) model with face-to-face components, enabling scalable and sustainable capacity-building across institutions.

Technical challenges such as internet disruptions and timing conflicts affected the first cohort’s learning experience, underscoring the need for improved scheduling, blended learning models, and better infrastructure support. The participants also stressed the need to embed ethical AI use into curriculum frameworks and institutional policies.

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