State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT)
Government of NCT of Delhi

DIETs in Delhi act will act as a district-level academic authority and nodal institutions guiding all school education and teacher education efforts in the districts. They function will function with substantial institutional autonomy in planning and executing their mandate, with guidance and support from SCERT and Directorate of Education. Their overarching focus will be on ensuring quality of school and teacher education with a strong outcome orientation.

Following is a summary of the proposed institutional mandate for DIETs:

Pre-service training: DIETs will be premier teacher training institutions at district level teaching DPSE and D.El.Ed courses (all DIETs). They are nationally recognized as hubs of innovation in experimenting with innovative curriculum and pedagogy that gives substantial opportunities for practice-based learning to student-teachers through a back-and-forth movement between theory and the field through inbuilt field-based units of study in each theory course as well as specially designed practicum. In addition, they  also get opportunity for an extended period of teaching internship (similar to medical students) before course completion.

In-service training (PDT/INSET): DIETs will act as nodal institutions to plan, coordinate and execute all in-service training programmes for school teachers up to the secondary level (Std 10) in their districts. DIETs will have substantial autonomy to determine local training needs, design appropriate in-service training programmes, and ensure that training inputs are translated to effective practice. To the extent possible, the training plan is aligned with state and national guidelines (e.g. SSA), but top-down planning will be discontinued where DIETs are made to train a certain number of teachers to meet centrally determined targets. The role of SCERT is limited to coordinating and executing in-service training only for all senior secondary teachers in Delhi.

Over 3-10 years however, in-service teacher training in Delhi will be further decentralized to a cluster-level with a cluster representing a footprint of 10 secondary schools. There will be enough capacity and resources at cluster-level to plan, coordinate and execute in-service teacher training as per locally determined needs. In this scenario, the role of DIETs will be primarily in training the master trainers at block and cluster level, and providing them necessary resources (e.g. physical space) to meet their goals.

Curriculum and Material Development: DIETs have been  empowered to tailor specific aspects of the curriculum for pre-service training to suit the local context e.g. faculty has have flexibility to design the practicum components for each course in a way that reinforces classroom learning. Further, DIET faculty develop will develop their own materials for in-service training as well as to meet specific local needs.

Educational Planning and Research: DIETs act as nodal institutions at district-level to undertake all kinds of educational research activities in their districts, preferably in collaboration with faculty from SCERT and universities to ensure methodological rigour and wider relevance of research. They also promote a culture of evidence-based practice among all education stakeholders in the districts such as block and cluster-level resource persons, and teachers. It train and supports them in their own action-research projects.

1. Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy

This department houses majority of the core academic faculty of DIET dealing with curricular studies and pedagogy. While different branches of this department are organized around specific school education subject areas (e.g. mathematics, science, languages, social sciences, art education, health and physical education, etc.), there will be a distinct and equal focus within each branch on the two critical stages of a child’s growth: pre-primary and primary stage (Pre-School to Class 5), and upper-primary, secondary and senior secondary stage (Classes 6 to Class 12).

Like SCERT’s Division of Curriculum and Pedagogy, this department also follows a unique matrix structure with faculty specializing in specific subject/functional areas as well as in pedagogy suitable to a specific stage of child’s growth. This department, therefore, is be headed by two Department heads, each focusing on one of the above-mentioned two stages of a child’s growth. 

This unique structure recognizes the need to strengthen early-childhood education in Delhi, while also maintaining continuity in the learning process for the child from pre-primary to primary stage. This structure recognizes that the pre-primary and primary stages are bound together by an overarching focus on child-centred learning, inclusive education, and developing foundational learning skills (especially reading and numeracy) in all children, while the focus in upper-primary and secondary shifts towards subject content. 

Furthermore, specific detailing has been done to ensure adequate faculty is available for in-service teacher training (INSET) as per the specific mandate of that DIET. Following is a summary of functions to be performed by the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy:

Functions

• Provide curricular subject related assistance for material development and teacher training (pre-service and in-service) for all education programmes in the district including pre-primary, elementary, secondary and non-formal education.
• Pro-actively lead the planning, design and delivery of all in-service teacher training programmes in that district based on local needs, and support the implementation of in-service trainings decided by SCERT or DoE based on state-level priorities. 
• Constantly strive for pedagogical excellence by innovating, as well as adapting from local, national and international experiences, effective approaches for teacher education and school education.
• Carry out action-research projects in the fields of teacher education and school education striving to be rigorous, relevant, innovative and current, and preferably in collaboration with faculty from SCERT or universities.
• Provide all necessary faculty support for the pre-service courses offered at DIET e.g. Diploma in Pre-school Education (DPSE), D.El.Ed and B.Ed.
• Develop and manage all laboratory infrastructure associated with any of the departments under this division e.g. language lab, curriculum lab, art resource centre

2. Department of Foundations of Education

This department will offer several courses on foundations of Education as part of pre-service training curriculum designed to provide an in-depth study of processes of child development and learning, concepts and perspectives in education, socio-political context in which education is situated, processes and approaches of school organization and management, contemporary issues related to society and education and a repertoire of professional capacities to relate and communicate. The department will also bring focus on inclusive pedagogies required to cater to the needs of students with special educational needs. Following will be the key functions of this department:

Functions

• Provide all necessary faculty support for material development and conduct of “Perspectives in Education” courses as part of the pre-service curriculum of all programmes offered at DIET e.g. DPSE, D.El.Ed and B.Ed.
• Constantly strive for pedagogical excellence by innovating, as well as adapting from local, national and international experiences, effective approaches for teacher education and school education.
• Through the Special Educational Needs branch, provide support for effective mainstreaming of children with special needs right from the pre-primary till secondary level, and support inclusive pedagogies in schools through pre-service and in-service training of teachers
• Carry out action-research projects in topics relevant to this department striving to be rigorous, relevant, innovative and current, and preferably in collaboration with faculty from SCERT or universities.

3. Department of School Leadership and Management

This department will lead the capacity building efforts for all stakeholders involved with school system management viz. Estate managers, Heads of Schools, School Management Committees, CRCs, BRPs and middle-management of school administrative system in the district. Following will be the key functions:

Functions

• In consultation with DoE and SCERT, determine training needs and support content creation and training for all stakeholders involved in school management in that district e.g. Heads of Schools, Estate Managers, SMCs, CRCs, BRPs, middle management etc.
• Support SCERT in implementation of all programmes and Centrally Sponsored Schemes related to comprehensive school management and evaluation (e.g. Shaala Siddhi)
• Carry out action-research projects in the fields of school leaders/administrator education and school system management striving to be rigorous, relevant, innovative and current, preferably in collaborations with SCERT and universities.
• Partner with leading NGOs and private training institutions to ensure the most innovative and effective training content is created and used for the above mentioned trainings.
• Serve as a nodal department for all programmes related to community involvement in school education (e.g. School Management Committees)

4. Learning Resource Center

The Learning Resource Centre at DIET will function to aid and support all other departments to succeed in their objectives by providing critical services such as library, computer lab, A/V center to co-create digital learning resources etc. It will also house the faculty in ICT education that will provide for IT and educational technology related training for pre-service and in-service teachers and officials. Following will be its key functions:

Functions

• In consultation with DoE and SCERT, determine training needs and support content creation and in-service training in ICT/educational technology for all stakeholders involved in school system e.g. teachers, HoS, middle management, BRCs, CRCs etc. 
• Cater to ICT/ education technology training needs for student-teachers enrolled in D.El.Ed., DPSE and B.Ed. programmes offered by the DIET
• Assist in creating a variety of technological aids and digital learning resources as desired by DIET faculty to aid the teacher-learning process of different subjects.
• Constantly innovate and adapt global and national innovations in computer-aided learning as relevant for the needs of that district, working in collaboration with other faculty from that DIET, and with SCERT.
• Provide professional library services including reading/discussion room facility to faculty, staff and students at DIET. Apart from a well-stocked book collection, the library should have an exhaustive set of national and international journals in the field of education research and teacher education. In addition, the facility should be extended to all government schools teachers of that district (for referral purposes only) to act as a true district-level resource centre.

5. Department of Educational Planning, Research and Assessments

Along with SCERT, DIETs also have a mandate of pursuing district-level educational research activities, and ensuring a culture of evidence-based practice in both school education as well as teacher education. The Department of Educational Planning, Research and Assessments will provide full administrative and research support to all DIET faculty for all types of research projects, and will be the nodal division to coordinate all learning assessments in that district. While this department will support the implementation of all research projects and learning assessments, the overall ownership and intellectual leadership for design of research methodology, assessment tools etc. will be the responsibility of relevant DIET faculty initiating the study. 

The work of this department will be led by one Department head (Associate Professor), and supported by one dedicated Project Fellow and research staff with advanced skills in data collection, cleaning and data analysis. There will be a provision to hire additional project fellows as the quantum of research projects undertaken by DIET faculty increases. 

Functions:

• Lead and coordinate all district-level surveys on educational attainment e.g. as required under NAS, SLAS etc.
• Maintain a district-wide database of key statistics and indicators of various schools, teacher education institutions and education outcomes.
• Provide administrative and field support for all action-research projects initiated by DIET faculty through activities such as research instrument/survey design, training and supervision for field data collection, data cleaning, data analysis, report writing etc.
• Facilitate research collaborations with local, national and international universities on educational research activities in the district
• Organize seminars and roundtables to discuss the evolving state of evidence in various issues related to school education, and its applicability to Delhi.
• Undertake capacity building activities, either directly or in collaboration with national/international agencies and universities, for ongoing improvement in research skills of DIET faculty.
• Prepare policy briefs and summaries for all action-research projects undertaken by DIET faculty.
• Support educational planning initiatives of GNCTD at district-level by providing evidence-based inputs.

6. Programme Management Unit (PMU)

Similar to the PMU at SCERT, the PMU at DIETs will take lead in all the non-academic projects and coordination tasks necessary for the functioning of the DIET thereby relieving the faculty from spending a large proportion of their time coordinating logistical/administrative tasks. An empowered and a flexible PMU, with appropriately qualified non-academic staff, will play a major role in restoring the much-needed focus of DIET faculty on academic activities. The Vice-Principal of DIET will function as the HoD for PMU.

Functions

Lead the complete planning and execution of the annual district-wide training activities for in-service teachers, heads of schools and other education system stakeholders, based on locally determined needs as well as SCERT’s annual priorities. For each such training, a faculty from either of the above three departments will be appointed as the academic lead, while the entire planning and execution will be coordinated by this cell.

• Lead the planning and execution of all training programmes related to Non-Formal Education, with the support of lead faculty from other DIET departments.
• Coordinate Programme Advisory Committee (PAC) meetings, and prepare progress and annual reports as required.
• Undertake all tasks related to the functioning of a Training Management System (TMS) for the district to consolidate and track various professional development activities provided by different agencies for teachers and heads of schools. Capture and track other necessary data and indicators to track the performance of DIET e.g. Prashikshak etc.
• Provide event planning and management support (finalizing venues, planning logistics, ensuring facilities are in place during event, managing registration and attendees, refreshments, vendor contracts and payments etc.) for all events organized by DIET including in-service trainings, seminars, workshops etc.

7. Administration Department

An efficient and well-staffed administration and finance unit is the backbone of any successful organization. The existing Administration wing of DIETs will be strengthened and renamed as “Administration and Finance department” to cater to all future needs of the DIETs, including human resources management. The day-to-day functioning of this department will be managed by an Estate manager (for infrastructure related issues), a HR manager/office superintendent (for all administrative and personnel issues) and an Assistant Accounts Officer (for all finance related issues) – all three operating under the supervision of Principal, DIET. Following is a summary of the key functions of this department:

Functions

• Day-to-day facility management for DIET
• Procurement  of stationery and other store  items, stock verification and overall store management
• Providing all finance and accounts-related support to DIET e.g. monitoring of funds, preparation of annual and revised budget estimates, monitoring of grants and other receipts, custody and payment of government money, reconciliation of funds, filing of periodical tax returns, facilitation of Audit by different govt. authorities etc.
• Administrative and finance support for personnel management e.g. disposal of personal claims, disbursement of contingent charges, calculation of TDS in respect of staff and issuance of Form 16 & 16A, payment of salary and retirement benefits to DIET staff as per policy etc. 
• Any assistance as required by Principal DIET for smooth functioning of the institute
• Coordinate the recruitment and orientation of all new academic and non-academic staff joining DIET, under the guidance of SCERT, always ensuring under 5% gap between sanctioned and filled positions.
• Maintain service books and personal files of all DIET employees including Leave Record
• Under the guidance of Principal DIET and various Department heads, coordinate ongoing professional development activities for all DIET faculty and non-academic staff