Resource persons with others during state-level workshop on AI and SWAYAM in Kohima on September 11. (Morung Photo)
Our Correspondent
Kohima | September 12
The Nagaland Education Association (NEA) in collaboration with the Department of Education, Nagaland University, and the Department of Education, Alder College, Kohima, organised a state-level one-day workshop on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and SWAYAM for Teaching Faculty at Alder College, Kohima on September 11.
In welcome address, Dr Bweyhunle Khing, President, NEA highlighted the growing significance of Artificial Intelligence in education and stressed the need to equip teachers, students, and educational administrators with the knowledge and skills required to engage effectively with emerging technologies.
She described that Swayam as the best option for disadvantaged students in remote areas, in-service teachers, working professionals and lifelong learners as it enables learners to access courses at their own pace without tuition fees. Swayam platform will lighten the burden of students with low economic background and in-service men and women who are unable to pursue further studies due to time constraints.
Reflecting on the role of teachers, she described education as the godmother of all professions and reminded participants that the world cannot go beyond the teachers.
She emphasised that without teachers, there won’t be the Government Officers and the world cannot function as it is. She stressed that in this digital and competitive era, the teachers have to be more active, responsible, dedicated and well-informed about the emerging technologies, describing teachers as the architects of our future. She stated that investing in teachers training and professional development is an investment for our nation’s future.
‘If we want to make our society a beautiful place, we need to strengthen and empower our educational institutions so that the institutions can produce good society and a peaceful nation,’ she stressed.
“In order to compete with the rest of the world, we need to give maximum investment in the field of education,” she added.
The first technical session, on Artificial Intelligence in Education, was conducted by Moasunep Kichu, Technical Officer, Department of IT, NIELIT, Kohima. He introduced participants to the fundamentals of AI from an educator’s perspective and outlined practical principles for its responsible use in teaching and learning. He emphasised that AI will not replace teachers; rather, teachers who harness it effectively can reduce administrative burdens and create more time for meaningful interaction with students. AI, he explained, can assist educators with repetitive tasks, while teachers retain responsibility for pedagogical judgement, cultural understanding, creativity, and student care.
Kichu demonstrated a four-stage teacher–AI workflow and discussed prompt engineering and the application of AI in lesson planning, teaching preparation, research, and other academic activities. He encouraged teachers to treat AI as a “co-pilot, not an autopilot,” stressing the importance of human oversight in all AI-assisted educational processes.
The second technical session, on SWAYAM, was conducted by Dr Boyillapalli Venkata Rao, Associate Professor, Department of Education, Nagaland University. Dr Rao outlined the significant opportunities offered by SWAYAM and encouraged educational institutions to appoint dedicated SWAYAM Coordinators to promote effective use of the platform. He explained the importance of the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) ID in relation to SWAYAM and the broader role of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in expanding access to flexible, quality education.
Describing SWAYAM as an e-learning platform launched by the Government of India in 2017 to provide free, high-quality education from the school level through postgraduate studies, Dr. Rao noted that it offers valuable opportunities for students from disadvantaged and remote areas, in-service teachers, working professionals, and lifelong learners. By enabling learners to access courses at their own pace without tuition fees, the platform helps reduce financial and geographical barriers to higher education.
The programme was chaired by Dr Keneiseno Chase, HoD, Department of Education, Alder College while vote of thanks was proposed by Dr Daili Kholia, General Secretary, NEA.
