New Delhi [India], December 17 (ANI): AICTE Chairman Prof. TG Sitharam centrally inaugurated the Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship (IDE) Bootcamp for Principals and Teachers of PM SHRI Schools on Wednesday through an online mode. The bootcamp is being conducted simultaneously at 14 locations across 12 States.

Addressing the participants, Prof. TG Sitharam said that education must move beyond rote learning to enable students to think, design and create.

He emphasised that the IDE Bootcamp is a crucial initiative to equip teachers with experiential, product-oriented learning approaches.

By integrating design thinking, innovation pedagogy and entrepreneurship at the school level, he said, the programme will help institutionalise innovation practices in schools and nurture a confident, future-ready generation of problem-solvers.

Highlighting the importance of leadership at the school level, Additional Secretary and Director, Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Dheeraj Sahu said that the IDE Bootcamp aims to equip principals and teachers with the right knowledge, frameworks and tools to effectively guide innovation under the PM SHRI Schools initiative.

Vice Chairman, AICTE, Dr. Abhay Jere, said that the initiative reflects a strong collaborative effort to embed innovation and entrepreneurship in school education.

He highlighted that structured programmes such as teacher training, school innovation councils and buildathons are creating on-ground change agents who can mentor students and guide their ideas from an early stage through higher education and the startup ecosystem.

The bootcamp is jointly organised by the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the Ministry of Education's Innovation Cell (MIC), and NCERT, in a phased manner, in collaboration with the Wadhwani Foundation. Phase I, scheduled from December 17 to 19, 2025, covers 14 locations.

Phase II will be conducted from December 22 to 24, 2025, across 21 locations, followed by Phase III from January 7 to 9, 2026, at 15 locations.

The initiative follows the successful completion of capacity-building workshops on Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship for District Education Officers and DIET members, conducted from October 30 to December 5, 2025, across 25 locations covering 26 States and Union Territories.

AICTE reiterated its commitment to nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship at all levels of education. Under the AICTE-Innovation Cell, 46 bootcamps for Higher Educational Institutions and 48 bootcamps for schools have been organised so far.

Through the current programme, over 200 eminent experts will train more than 9,000 participants across 50 centres, aligning closely with the objectives of the National Education Policy 2020. (ANI)