Published on October 24 , 2025
Delhi, India
In a transformative step toward holistic education, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Regional Office for South Asia signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Regional Institute of Education (RIE) Bhubaneswar—under the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), Ministry of Education—on October 14, 2025, at UNESCO’s New Delhi office. This collaboration embeds health and well-being into pre-service teacher education programs, targeting Integrated BSc-BEd, BA-BEd, and BEd courses to equip future educators with skills for creating safe, inclusive, and resilient classrooms. Building on UNESCO’s School Health and Wellness Programme (SHWP), which has impacted over 3 million learners and trained 40,000 teachers, the MoU aligns with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s vision for comprehensive student development. As Prof. P.C. Agarwal, Joint Director of NCERT, noted, “This marks a milestone in promoting health and well-being as an integral part of education.” With RIE Bhubaneswar leading state-level pilots in Odisha, the initiative paves the way for nationwide reforms via the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).
Background on the Partnership
The MoU extends UNESCO’s longstanding efforts in education for health and well-being, rooted in global strategies like the UNESCO Strategy on Education for Health and Well-Being (2021), which emphasizes holistic learner support amid rising mental health challenges post-COVID. In India, it builds on the 2022 SHWP with NCERT, reaching 30,000 CBSE schools and designating ‘Health and Wellness Ambassadors’ in each to promote age-appropriate activities. RIE Bhubaneswar, a premier NCERT institute serving eastern states like Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, already offers credit courses on health but sought UNESCO’s expertise to reform them under NEP 2020. This first-of-its-kind MoU for RIE Bhubaneswar shifts focus from in-service training to pre-service, ensuring new teachers are proactive in fostering student resilience from day one.
- Strategic Alignment: Supports SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) and SDG 4 (Quality Education) by addressing gaps in teacher preparedness for mental health, nutrition, and inclusive practices.
- Regional Relevance: Targets Odisha’s 1.2 lakh+ teachers, where student stress and learning disruptions remain high, per NCERT surveys.
Objectives and Key Components
The MoU’s core aim is to institutionalize health and well-being in teacher training, preparing educators to nurture compassionate, well-rounded students amid modern challenges like anxiety and sedentary lifestyles.
- Primary Objectives:
- Develop resilient teaching practices for holistic learner growth.
- Pilot scalable models for curriculum integration, expandable to other states.
- Build a cadre of master trainers for sustained impact.
- Key Components:
- Handbook Development: Co-create a Health and Well-Being Handbook for teacher educators and trainees, serving as a practical reference with modules on mental health, nutrition, and inclusive strategies.
- Curriculum Embedding: Integrate dedicated modules into BEd programs, covering Perspectives in Education, Curriculum and Pedagogic Studies, Enhancing Professional Capabilities, and Field Engagement.
- Capacity Building: Conduct workshops across Odisha’s BEd institutions, training 500+ educators initially.
- Evaluation and Scaling: Pilot in select RIE-affiliated institutions, evaluate outcomes, and finalize UNESCO-endorsed materials for NCTE advocacy.
| Component | Focus Areas | Target Audience |
|---|---|---|
| Health Handbook | Mental health tools, stress management, inclusive practices | Teacher educators, BEd students |
| Curriculum Modules | Nutrition, physical activity, emotional resilience | Integrated BEd programs (BSc-BEd, BA-BEd) |
| Workshops | Interactive sessions on classroom health promotion | Odisha BEd faculty and trainees |
| NCTE Collaboration | Nationwide policy advocacy | All teacher education institutions |
Implementation starts with Odisha pilots, leveraging RIE’s role as a regional resource center for ICT and teacher support.
Implementation Plan and Timeline
The two-year MoU emphasizes phased rollout for measurable impact, without specified funding details but supported by NCERT-UNESCO resources.
- Phase 1 (Months 1-6): Handbook drafting and initial workshops at RIE Bhubaneswar and partner institutions; curriculum analysis for integration.
- Phase 2 (Months 7-18): Pilot embedding in select BEd programs; train 200+ master trainers; monitor via feedback loops.
- Phase 3 (Months 19-24): Evaluation, material finalization, and NCTE engagement for national rollout.
- Sustainability Measures: UNESCO endorsement for scalability; potential expansion to other RIEs (e.g., Ajmer, Mysore) post-pilot success.
No explicit budget is mentioned, but it draws from SHWP’s framework, which trained 960 principals across 30,000 schools. RIE Bhubaneswar’s ongoing CEE-2025 admissions ensure fresh cohorts for testing.
Expert Opinions and Insights
Leaders at the signing ceremony hailed the MoU as a beacon for equitable education.
- Tim Curtis, UNESCO Director for South Asia: “This prepares Odisha’s future teachers to cultivate resilient, compassionate learners—we hope to expand to other states soon.”
- Prof. Manasi Goswami, Principal, RIE Bhubaneswar: “NEP 2020 demands well-being emphasis; UNESCO’s support will reform our courses for holistic impact.”
- Prof. H.K. Senapaty, Former NCERT Director: “A milestone for state-level action, building on national efforts to create health-promoting classrooms.”
- Joyce Poan, UNESCO Chief of Education: Stressed collaborative potential for systemic reform.
Earlier workshops, like the 2023 UNESCO-RIE event, laid groundwork by drafting health-inclusive curricula.
Significance for Teacher Education in India
This MoU addresses critical gaps: Only 20% of Indian teachers receive well-being training, per NCTE data, amid rising student mental health issues (15% prevalence in schools). By aligning with NEP 2020’s holistic focus, it empowers 1.5 lakh annual BEd graduates to foster inclusive environments, reducing dropout rates (8% nationally) and enhancing learning outcomes. For Odisha, it bolsters RIE’s role in eastern India, potentially influencing 5,000+ schools. Nationally, NCTE integration could standardize health modules, echoing SHWP’s success and positioning India as a leader in education for well-being. As UNESCO’s strategy notes, such reforms build “safe, inclusive spaces” for 250 million learners.
| Impact Area | Expected Benefits | Broader Reach |
|---|---|---|
| Student Well-Being | Reduced stress, better engagement | 3M+ via SHWP extension |
| Teacher Preparedness | Skilled in health promotion | 40K+ trained nationally |
| Policy Influence | NCTE-mandated modules | All 14,500+ teacher institutions |
| Regional Equity | Odisha pilot model | Eastern states (Bihar, Jharkhand) |
