The Directorate of Elementary Education on Monday inaugurated a five-day hands-on training programme for teachers involved in the newly introduced pre-primary sections in the state, with a focus on effective implementation of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE).

The training, being held at Maharani Tulsibati Girls’ Higher Secondary School in Agartala, will continue until September 25. It is being attended by teachers from Khowai, Sepahijala and West Tripura districts for the academic year 2026-27.

Director of Elementary Education Dr Samit Roy Choudhury, Joint Director Harshita Biswas, Branch Officer of the Pre-Primary Cell Abhijit Samajpati and school principal Kuheli Debbarma attended the inaugural session.

Addressing the participants, Roy Choudhury stressed the need for a classroom and school environment conducive to the holistic development of children. He said teachers had an important responsibility in ensuring that children learned in a safe, joyful and fear-free environment.

He said children entering school at the age of three required support for their mental, social, practical and behavioural development along with a strong foundation in basic education.

Biswas said the implementation of ECCE marked a gradual shift from conventional lecture-based teaching towards activity-based and child-centred learning. She urged teachers to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during the training in their respective schools and stressed the importance of understanding child psychology and individual learning needs.

Debbarma said effective teaching begins when children look forward to attending school and develop a positive relationship with their teachers. She emphasised the importance of a supportive environment for meaningful learning.

Samajpati, who delivered the welcome address, said the training would cover various domains of pre-primary education, teaching-learning materials, puppet-making and the use of puppetry as a classroom teaching-learning tool.

A total of 87 teachers are participating in the programme, including 46 from Khowai, 34 from Sepahijala and seven from West Tripura. They have been assigned responsibility for the newly introduced pre-primary sections in their respective schools. Ten master trainers are also participating in the programme and will provide hands-on training in different aspects of ECCE.

The programme, aligned with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, includes sessions on child psychology, classroom management, play-based learning, age-appropriate assessment methods, school observation and puppetry-based teaching strategies. Practical sessions on puppet-making will also be held.

On the second day, Dr Hillol Mukherjee, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Education (IASE), will conduct a session on child psychology.

The Directorate said it had been taking steps to provide infrastructure, teacher training and teaching-learning materials for pre-primary education. The five-day programme is aimed at supporting the implementation of ECCE in newly established pre-primary sections across the state.