District Institutes: Continuing Education for School Teachers,Azim Premji Foundation

Abstract

This article outlines the rationale, design and field praxis of District Education Institutes as an institution for the continuing education of government school teachers, built by the Azim Premji Foundation (henceforth, Foundation) after two decades of work in public education. Anchored in the conviction that systemic, last-mile improvement requires working with the government, the article argues that teacher competence and motivation are pivotal to classroom learning and need continuous, context-responsive support rather than episodic training. It critiques historical gaps in pre- and in-service ecosystems (e.g., District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs)/Colleges of Teacher Education (CTEs)) and advances a practice-based alternative: embedded resource teams operating at the block level to ensure proximity, trust, and day-to-day scaffolding. The model emphasises peer learning platforms, perspective-building grounded in constitutional values, and rigorous, ongoing training-need analysis. Currently spanning 334 blocks across 61 districts with ~1,600 resource persons, the institute’s focus is on age-appropriate learning outcomes alongside fear-free, equitable classrooms. The article details organisational structures, selection and capacity-building pathways, and the 20–60–20 insight on teacher motivation, illustrating how continuous, peer-led engagement shifts the ‘average majority’ toward stronger practice at scale.