New Delhi, Apr 18 (IANS): PC and printer major HP on Thursday introduced the 'Innovation & Digital Education Academy' (IDEA) programme in India, aiming to support educators with essential digital pedagogy skills, transform teaching methods, and enhance the learning experience for students in CBSE schools across the country.

The programme, developed in partnership with the Centre for Teacher Accreditation (CENTA) and Verdant & Co, is designed to meet the increasing demands of educators and students in the digital age.

It is scheduled to commence in the last week of April and will run for a full academic year.

"With this initiative, we will work to transform teaching methods and enrich the learning experience for students in CBSE schools," Ipsita Dasgupta, SVP and MD of HP India market, said in a statement.

According to the company, this programme is poised to reach 50 schools, benefitting about 5,000 teachers and 50,000 students across the country. The focus will be on empowering educators with the latest tools and best practices in teaching and learning.

"As a certification and accreditation body, CENTA is keen to continuously bring to teachers great professional development initiatives. We are super excited to be collaborating with HP in taking this programme to schools in over 20 cities in India," said Priyanka Arya, Director and Chief Operating Officer, CENTA.

The programme offers two pathways for participating schools -- HP IDEA Fellow and HP IDEA Associate.

The HP IDEA Fellow pathway is a one-year teacher development programme designed for select practitioners and instructional leaders.

On the other hand, the HP IDEA Associate pathway provides focused intervention for all staff members at participating schools, allowing them to become programmes' associates by engaging in training delivered by HP IDEA Fellows.