As part of the UK government’s trade delegation to India, The Open University and Save the Children (the leading child rights organisation in India), have announced a new partnership to deliver the TESS-India (Teacher Education Through School-Based Support) project from November 2016. Since 2012, the project has been funded by DFID (UK Department for International Development).
The new partnership with Save the Children will now enable the project to transition to an independent and sustainable model, building on success to date.
TESS-India, which has been led by the OU, raises standards of education by giving primary and secondary school teachers in India the support they need without taking them out of the classroom. The vision of the project is to ‘develop better educated and more highly skilled teachers across India by 2025’.
High-quality Open Educational Resources (OERs) have been made freely available, and endorsed by Indian national and state governments. Through this, the project provides a model to support the future of education in India. It has already reached over 1 million teachers, teacher educators and education managers across the seven target states (Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Utter Pradesh and West Bengal).
Steve Hill, Director External Engagement, The Open University, said: “For almost 50 years the OU has not only put social mobility at the very heart of what we seek to do, it is the foundation of our mission which is still incredibly relevant today. We have been leading the way in teacher education in Britain and internationally for many years, enabling teachers to learn without taking them out of the classroom. TESS-India is an innovative project achieving substantial impact, and through the partnership with Save the Children India we continue to have a pivotal role in supporting the future of education in India.”
Thomas Chandy, CEO, Save the Children, said: “In India we have been focusing on the provision of quality education to children – especially those who are the most marginalised – because just increasing school enrolments is not enough.
“This partnership brings in vital technical and academic expertise from The Open University, which will help us to have a stronger impact in contributing to national policy and the development of urgently required solutions to ensure a productive learning experience for Every Last Child; and thereby transform India’s classrooms.”
