UNESCO, RIE Bhubaneswar sign MoU to integrate health and well-being into teacher education

UNESCO and RIE Bhubaneswar, under the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), have signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding to integrate health and well-being into pre-service teacher education programs.

The agreement was formalized at the UNESCO office in New Delhi.

The partnership seeks to institutionalize health and well-being across programs such as Integrated BSc-BEd, BA-BEd, and BEd, aiming to create safe, inclusive, and health-promoting classrooms.

The collaboration represents a major step in reshaping teacher education to address learners’ holistic needs.

Tim Curtis, Director and Representative of the UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia, said the initiative would bring practical benefits to the state level, preparing future teachers in Odisha to nurture resilient, compassionate, and well-rounded students.

He expressed hope that the model could expand to other states in the near future.

The MoU builds on UNESCO’s earlier partnership with NCERT through the School Health and Wellness Programme (SHWP), which has reached over 3 million learners, trained 40,000 teachers, and engaged 960 principals across 30,000 CBSE-affiliated schools.

The new agreement outlines plans to:

• Pilot a health and well-being handbook for teacher educators and prospective teachers
• Conduct capacity-building workshops across B.Ed. institutions in Odisha
• Embed health and well-being modules into existing curricula
• Evaluate and finalize supplementary materials with UNESCO endorsement

“This MoU marks a milestone in our shared vision to promote health and well-being as an integral part of education,” said Prof PC Agarwal, Joint Director, NCERT.

He highlighted UNESCO’s role in developing a strong cadre of master trainers and reaffirmed NCERT’s commitment to supporting the initiative and exploring its expansion to other regions.

Prof Manasi Goswami, Principal of RIE NCERT, Bhubaneswar, noted that while RIE already offers credit courses on health, NEP 2020 calls for renewed emphasis on well-being in teacher education.

She welcomed UNESCO’s support in strengthening and reforming courses to align with the vision of holistic education.

The signing ceremony included remarks from Ms Joyce Poan, Program Specialist and Chief of Education, UNESCO; Prof Hrushikesh Senapaty, Former Director of NCERT; and Sarita Jadav, National Program Officer, UNESCO.

UNESCO will also collaborate with the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) to promote the nationwide integration of health and well-being into teacher education curricula, ensuring long-term sustainability and impact.