Mangaluru: The newly constructed Shakti Research and Training Centre, established by the Shakti Educational Trust at Shakti Nagar, with support from HPCL’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, was inaugurated recently.Dakshina Kannada MP Captain Brijesh Chowta inaugurated the centre. HPCL director (human resources) KS Shetty inaugurated the centre’s main room, while HPCL CSR chief general manager Anupam Tiwari inaugurated a computer laboratory equipped with around 100 systems.Shakti Research and Training Centre secretary Sanjeet Naik said the institution will conduct student development programmes focusing on leadership, creativity, communication, life skills, digital literacy and other skills required for the future. The centre will also be made accessible to the wider educational community in Mangaluru and Dakshina Kannada. Two special training programmes will be conducted every year for teachers and heads of schools outside the Shakti institutions. The programmes will cover Panchakosha, Panchapadi, implementation of the National Curriculum Framework-based curriculum, National Education Policy-based teaching methodologies and holistic learning.Naik said educational research will be undertaken as a continuous activity, supported by regular workshops and discussion forums. Artificial intelligence and digital education will also be important areas of focus, he said, adding that teachers needed to understand emerging technologies and prepare students to use them intelligently and responsibly. The centre’s long-term vision was to develop it into a regional hub for teacher development, educational research and collaboration in coastal Karnataka. The institution also plans to work with universities, research organisations, teacher-training institutions, govt bodies and experts in artificial intelligence, digital education and Indian knowledge traditions, he said.MP Brijesh Chowta said the centre should emerge as an institution that would help teachers implement the state’s education policies effectively. He urged students to become agents of social change, maintain discipline and share the knowledge and values gained at the institution with their families and society.MLA D Vedavyas Kamath said the centre had been established to improve the quality of teacher education in Mangaluru and Dakshina Kannada. He urged govt and private school teachers in the district to make use of the facilities at the centre. The programme was presided over by KC Naik.
