Shimla, June 5:
The Himachal Pradesh government on Friday said it plans to expand the UNESCO-supported HP FUTURES programme to more schools across the state, following encouraging results during its first year of implementation.
A review meeting marking one year of the HP FUTURES (Foundation for Upskilling, Teacher Excellence, Understanding, Readiness, Equity and Sustainability) programme was held in Shimla. The initiative, launched in partnership with UNESCO, focuses on competency-based education, value education through sports, green education and the development of 21st-century skills among students.
The meeting was attended by Education Secretary Rakesh Kanwar, Samagra Shiksha Director Rajesh Sharma, Director of School Education Ashish Kohli, Additional Director (Sports) Hitesh Azad, UNESCO South Asia Head of Education Joyce Poan, Monica Lama, education department officials, teachers and representatives of various institutions. UNESCO also released a report highlighting the programme’s achievements during its first year.
Addressing the gathering, Education Secretary Rakesh Kanwar said the three pillars of the FUTURES programme were helping make education more holistic, relevant and future-oriented. He said the initiative had been tailored to Himachal Pradesh’s local requirements, enabling stronger engagement with school communities.
Kanwar said the programme is currently being implemented in PM SHRI schools, but its successful practices would be extended to a larger number of schools in the future. He added that the state government intends to continue and strengthen its long-term partnership with UNESCO and integrate these innovations into everyday teaching, curriculum and school activities.
Samagra Shiksha Director Rajesh Sharma said the collaboration with UNESCO had enabled the state to adapt globally recognised educational practices to local needs. He noted that detailed studies of curriculum, teaching methodologies and school systems had led to significant improvements in the education sector.
Sharma said competency-based learning, value education through sports and green education had been effectively implemented in participating schools, yielding positive outcomes. He added that the programme had also contributed to nurturing values such as equality, cooperation, responsibility and social sensitivity among students.
He further said Samagra Shiksha would prepare a roadmap to expand the model to nearly 14,000 schools across the state so that a larger number of students could benefit from the initiative.
Director of School Education Ashish Kohli said the programme promotes competency-based education, teacher capacity building and application-based learning instead of rote memorisation. Positive results were already visible in the selected schools, he added.
UNESCO South Asia Head of Education Joyce Poan described the partnership with Himachal Pradesh as an important step towards transforming education. She said the FUTURES programme aimed to translate global educational thinking into practical action at the grassroots level and had demonstrated how meaningful change could be achieved when governments, educators and stakeholders work together.
During the event, winners of a UNESCO quiz competition were felicitated. The UNESCO delegation also visited Portmore School in Shimla to review the programme’s implementation at the ground level.
