Central Institute of Educational Technology

The Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET) is an autonomous organization operating under the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), India’s national institution for school-education research, curriculum support and teacher development. CIET functions as a nodal agency for applying mass-media and communications technologies to expand access to education and improve the quality of learning at the school level. Its work is funded by the Ministry of Education of the Government of India. CIET was established in 1984 under the then Ministry of Human Resources Development. Its formation brought together two NCERT units, the Centre for Educational Technology and the Department of Teaching Aids. The merger was intended to create a more integrated institutional capacity for using emerging media and communications systems in education. From its New Delhi base, CIET has worked across radio, television, film, satellite communication, multimedia and cyber media, combining content development with technical training, dissemination and institutional coordination. The institute’s responsibilities extend beyond producing educational material. CIET designs, develops and distributes alternative learning systems; promotes the use of educational technology; trains personnel in educational-media methods; provides consultancy and media assistance to NCERT constituents; and coordinates the work of State Institutes of Educational Technology (SIETs). Through this network, the institution has sought to adapt national educational-media capabilities to regional and state-level needs. Its facilities include television and sound studios, technical control rooms, workshops, seminar and rehearsal spaces, projection facilities, artists’ studios, administrative areas and open-courtyard spaces. The main building, completed in 1986 and designed by Raj Rewal Associates, is dedicated to the Children of India. CIET also maintains separate library collections for books, audio materials and video materials. These collections cover educational technology, broadcasting, communication, film, multimedia and related teaching resources, and are available to outside visitors as well as institutional users. A significant part of CIET’s distribution role has involved satellite and broadcast infrastructure. The institute uses India’s Edusat educational satellite network through a Ku-band sub-hub and a network of terminals distributed across the country. The infrastructure has supported conventional radio and television broadcasting, interactive radio and television, phone-in programming, video-on-demand functions, data exchange, audio and video conferencing, computer conferencing and web-based education. CIET also provides or supports education and training in the field of education, including bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral-level study described in reference material. Its institutional model therefore combines media production, educational research support, professional development, technical infrastructure and coordination with state agencies. The organization is best understood not as a commercial consumer brand, but as a public-sector educational-technology institution whose identity is associated with national school-learning media, instructional innovation and public educational access.

CIET emerged from India’s effort to apply mass communication and instructional technology to school education. Before its creation, NCERT maintained separate capabilities through the Centre for Educational Technology and the Department of Teaching Aids. These units represented complementary functions: one focused on educational technology and the other on instructional materials and teaching aids. In 1984, the Government of India established CIET by merging the two departments under the institutional umbrella of NCERT. The new body was intended to serve as a central coordinating and production agency for educational media and technology. The institute was located at the NIE Campus of NCERT in New Delhi. Its mandate covered the use of radio, television, film, satellite communication and later cyber media to support school-level education. Rather than limiting itself to a single distribution channel, CIET developed a broad operating model that linked content design, production, dissemination, training, consultancy and coordination. It also supported the development of alternative learning systems and the training of personnel who could use educational technology in teaching and educational administration. A purpose-built facility was completed in 1986. Designed by Raj Rewal Associates, the building was dedicated to the Children of India and incorporated infrastructure suited to media production and educational events. The complex included two television studios, two sound studios, technical control rooms, workshops, seminar rooms, rehearsal areas, projection facilities and artists’ studios, alongside administrative and public-support spaces. These facilities gave CIET the ability to produce and manage audiovisual material within a national educational institution rather than relying solely on external broadcasters or commercial production houses. CIET’s information and resource function was reinforced through three libraries dedicated respectively to book, audio and video collections. The holdings cover educational technology, radio, television, communication, film and multimedia, with formats including books, journals, compact discs, DVDs and multimedia packages. The libraries are also open to external visitors, extending the institute’s role as a resource centre beyond its internal operations. The institute’s distribution responsibilities expanded through India’s Edusat network, described as the country’s first satellite dedicated exclusively to education. CIET used a Ku-band sub-hub and terminals at locations across India to support radio and television broadcasting, interactive radio and television, phone-in programming, video-on-demand functions, data exchange, audio and video conferencing, computer conferencing and web-based education. These capabilities allowed educational content to reach locations beyond the immediate coverage of central studios and enabled more interactive forms of distance learning. Regional delivery has also been pursued through State Institutes of Educational Technology. CIET established or coordinated local stations in six states, working with state governments and providing guidance from the national level. The referenced locations include Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, Hyderabad, Gujarat, Pune, Odisha and Lucknow. The regional model was designed to extend educational media to different parts of India while allowing state institutions to participate in implementation. The Odisha institute was reported as facing possible closure over fund-utilization issues, illustrating the administrative and financial challenges that can affect decentralized public educational infrastructure. Over time, CIET’s remit has encompassed media development, technology promotion, personnel training, state coordination, consultancy and support for NCERT constituents. Reference material also describes the provision of education courses at bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. CIET therefore represents a continuing public institutional effort to connect educational content, communications technology and teacher development. Its historical significance lies in the integration of broadcast, audiovisual, satellite and digital approaches into India’s school-education system rather than in the sale of commercial products.

• 1986

  Purpose-built CIET facility completed

  [1]Central Institute of Educational Technologyen.wikipedia.org

  The institute’s New Delhi building was completed by Raj Rewal Associates and dedicated to the Children of India.

• 1984

  CIET established under NCERT

  [1]Central Institute of Educational Technologyen.wikipedia.org

  The Government of India established CIET under NCERT by merging the Centre for Educational Technology and the Department of Teaching Aids.

A public-sector national hub for educational media, technology-enabled learning, teacher capacity building and school-education support in India.

• Broadcast educational media

  Educational radio and television

  CIET develops and supports radio and television as channels for school-level learning. Its media role includes the creation, dissemination and coordination of educational programming, including conventional broadcasts and interactive formats. The approach is intended to extend learning resources beyond classrooms and to support teachers, students and education personnel across India.

• Audiovisual learning content

  Educational films and multimedia packages

  The institute’s production and resource activities cover films, audiovisual materials, multimedia packages and related teaching aids. These materials are part of CIET’s broader effort to apply communication and media technologies to instruction, teacher support and alternative learning systems. The organization’s studios, projection facilities and specialist libraries support this work.

• Satellite-enabled education

  Edusat educational network services

  CIET uses an Edusat Ku-band sub-hub and a distributed terminal network to support educational broadcasting and interaction. The documented capabilities include radio and television transmission, phone-in and interactive programming, video on demand, data exchange, audio and video conferencing, computer conferencing and web-based education.

• Professional education services

  Educational technology training and consultancy

  CIET trains personnel in educational technology and provides consultancy and media support to NCERT constituents and related education bodies. Its training role is connected to the practical use of broadcast, audiovisual, satellite and digital tools in school education and institutional learning systems.

• Information and research resources

  Educational technology libraries

  CIET maintains three libraries focused on books, audio and video. Their collections include material on educational technology, radio, television, communication, film and multimedia in formats such as books, journals, CDs, DVDs and multimedia packages. The libraries are available to outside visitors as well as institutional users.

1. 1Central Institute of Educational Technologyen.wikipedia.org