The teaching model in Himachal Pradesh’s schools is set to undergo a major shift, with a focus on promoting conceptual clarity and reducing dependence on rote learning. The Himachal Pradesh School Education Board has begun implementing competency-based teaching methods aimed at enhancing students’ understanding rather than memorisation.
To initiate this transition, the Board recently organised a three-day workshop titled Parikh at its headquarters in Dharamshala. Around 90 teachers from across the state participated in the workshop, which focused on improving classroom questioning techniques and developing competency-based assessment models. The training encouraged teachers to adopt new teaching practices that foster analytical and critical thinking skills among students.
According to Board Secretary Dr Major Vishal Sharma, the move is part of an effort to modernise school education and align it with the National Education Policy’s vision of experiential and understanding-based learning. He said that subject experts from Parakh, the national assessment body under NCERT, guided teachers on designing competency-driven lesson plans and question papers.
Dr Sharma added that the Board is also introducing reforms in examination patterns. From the March examinations onward, greater emphasis will be placed on multiple-choice questions (MCQs) to evaluate students’ comprehension and reasoning abilities. In addition, question papers will be released in A, B, and C series to ensure transparency and minimise unfair practices.
Education officials believe that the shift toward competency-based education will not only improve students’ grasp of concepts but also prepare them more effectively for competitive exams and higher education. The Board plans to organise similar training sessions across districts in the coming months to ensure uniform implementation of the new teaching model in all government and private schools of the state.
