Agartala, May 13, 2026: The Directorate of Elementary Education (DEE) has launched a phase-wise training programme on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) for teachers engaged in the newly opened 450 pre-primary units across Tripura for the academic session 2026–27.
The five-day training programme began on May 12 at the auditorium of Shishu Bihar Higher Secondary School in Agartala, covering 100 teachers from 94 schools in West Tripura district. Similar training programmes for the remaining districts will be conducted after the summer vacation.
The initiative aims to strengthen foundational education through activity-based learning methods for young children. Six Master Trainers and six Mentor Trainers are imparting training to the participating teachers on various aspects of ECCE.
The inaugural session was attended by Agartala Municipal Corporation Deputy Mayor Monika Das Dutta, State Pre-Primary Cell Branch Officer Abhijit Samajpati, and Principal of Shishu Bihar Higher Secondary School Sujit Chakraborty, among others.
Addressing the gathering as the chief guest, Monika Das Dutta stressed the importance of focusing on the mental development of children by connecting learning with their surrounding environment. Referring to the National Education Policy (NEP), she highlighted the significance of puppetry in pre-primary education and said the tradition of learning through dolls and puppets has existed in Indian education since ancient times. She urged teachers to prepare creative teaching-learning materials and puppets according to children’s needs and use them effectively in classroom teaching.
She further stated that the knowledge and skills acquired during the training should be practically implemented in classrooms to ensure meaningful outcomes from such departmental initiatives.
Principal Sujit Chakraborty informed the participants about various initiatives undertaken by the department to strengthen pre-primary education in the state.
In his welcome address, Abhijit Samajpati encouraged teachers to adopt activity-based teaching methods for tiny tots so that children can easily adapt to the school environment and develop an early interest in education. He also emphasized the importance of inculcating discipline and good habits among students from the foundational stage.
Highlighting the expansion of pre-primary education in Tripura, he said that before 2018 only nine schools had pre-primary units, while with the addition of 450 new units this year, the total number of pre-primary units in the state has increased to 714. He noted that the initiative has significantly expanded access to preschool education for children from all socio-economic backgrounds.
The training programme will continue till May 16, and a Teaching Learning Material (TLM) exhibition will be organised on the concluding day to showcase the innovative learning materials prepared by the trained teachers.
The programme is being organised under the leadership of Director of Elementary Education Rajib Dutta.
