The Department of Chemistry, of BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus, in association with the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, organized and hosted a two-day workshop for HSSC Chemistry teachers from across Goa on 2nd and 3rd September 2026. The workshop attended by over 120 teachers, aimed to strengthen contemporary teaching practices and promote competency-based assessment in Chemistry.
The workshop was inaugured by Mr. Bhagirarth G. Shetye, Chairman, Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education; in presence of Mr. Vijaykumar N. Nazare, Convener, Board of Studies in Chemistry; Prof. Meenal Kowshik, Dean Administration, BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus; Prof. P. Bhavana, HoD, Department of Chemistry; and Prof. Uttara Basu, Organizer, Department of Chemistry. The initiative was supported by Prof. Suman Kundu, Director, BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus, whose continued encouragement of educational outreach and academic engagement has been instrumental in fostering such initiatives.
The workshop equipped the teachers with advanced pedagogical approaches, innovative teaching strategies, problem solving and effective assessment practices; encouraging a shift beyond recall-based questions towards assessments that foster conceptual understanding, application, critical thinking, scientific reasoning, and problem-solving skills.
The academic sessions, led by Prof. Ranjan Dey (Physical Chemistry), Prof. Rashmi Chauhan (Organic Chemistry), and Prof. Uttara Basu (Inorganic Chemistry), featured interactive discussions, examples, and hands-on activities focused on problem solving and designing competency-based assessments. As part of the experiential component, the teachers also visited the Chemistry laboratories at BITS Pilani, Goa Campus, gaining exposure to the department’s experimental facilities and instrumentation and discussing approaches to strengthening practical and experiential learning.
The workshop concluded with a valedictory function, where participation certificates were presented to the teachers in recognition of their enthusiastic engagement throughout the program. The initiative represents a meaningful step towards strengthening teacher capacity, fostering the school-higher education interface, and advancing engaging, application-oriented, experiential, and competency-driven Chemistry education across Goa.
