
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two new centres of excellence, focusing on specific areas of advanced research and training, have come up at the Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) headquarters in the capital. Higher Education Minister R Bindu inaugurated the centres – Kerala Network for Research Support in Higher Education (KNRSHE) and Centre of excellence for Teaching and Learning and Training (TLT) – at a function held at KSHEC here on Thursday.
Rajan Varughese, member secretary, KSHEC, presided over the function that was also attended by Director of Collegiate Education Sudheer K and KSHEC executive body members Rajasree M S and P P Ajaya Kumar. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between KSHEC and Government Women’s college, Thiruvananthapuram, was also signed for starting the sub-centre of KNRSHE in the college.
KNRSHE centre
The newly launched KNRSHE will handhold and assist teachers and researchers and encourage them to mobilise research funds from various agencies, including private sources for creating research infrastructure.
Besides offering research support, the centres will also help researchers with grants for research equipment maintenance. The KNRSHE centre will provide optimal state-level infrastructure facilities through networking/cluster mode. It will mainly offer shared, professionally managed services and strong science and technology research infrastructure facilities under one roof.
KNRSHE is envisioned as an umbrella institute with a lot of associated sub-centres attached to this. All research centres/individual departments having potential research facilities/units situated in various universities, colleges and other research labs, etc are eligible to be recognised as an associate sub-centre of KNRSHE.
Teaching, learning, & training
The centre of excellence for Teaching and Learning and Training (TLT) is conceived to emerge as a premier institution that empowers educators and learners through innovative teaching, learning, and training practices, enhancing the quality of higher education for sustainable development.
The centre will promote excellence in teaching and learning through professional development programmes for educators and foster research and development in innovative pedagogical practices. It will establish a platform for collaboration among academia, industry, and international partners for advancing educational standards. It will also support higher education institutions in redesigning curricula to integrate critical thinking, research, and digital literacy. The centre will also encourage research on teaching and learning and produce actionable insights to improve educational outcomes. It will also strive to create partnerships with national and international institutions to share best practices in teaching, learning, and training.