Ranchi: The Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC) has launched the Jharkhand E-Shiksha Mahotsav 2026, a statewide Information and Communication Technology (ICT) championship aimed at bolstering digital literacy, fostering innovation, and promoting tech-enabled learning across govt schools.Introduced in 2025, the annual championship invites students from Classes 9 to 12 to demonstrate their digital skills, problem-solving capabilities, creativity, and innovative approaches to technology. This year the competition has also been opened to teachers handling Classes 6 to 12.JEPC director Shashi Ranjan said, “The initiative aims to assess, encourage, and recognise digital excellence among both students and teachers, thereby furthering the objectives of technology integration and quality enhancement in school education.”The competition moves through a four-tier structure comprising school, block, district, and state levels, with top performers earning medals and certificates. The foundational school-level phase concluded between Oct 9 and 16, drawing participation from 2,869 schools. Following this, one boy and one girl from each participating school have been selected to compete at the block level, scheduled between Nov 2 and 14.Block-level winners will advance to the district-level contests between Dec 7 and 12, culminating in the state-level finals from Dec 21 to 24. Performers who clinch top honours at the state level will be designated as the state’s official ICT Ambassadors.For educators, testing will be conducted across two divisions, namely the Middle and Secondary category for teachers of Classes 6 to 10 and the Senior Secondary category for Classes 11 and 12 teachers.The students’ championship focuses on assessing digital competence within classroom environments, evaluating practical application skills like pedagogical integration, and promoting essential skills like critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and digital literacy.The teachers’ competition is designed to evaluate and strengthen the digital competencies of school educators while driving ICT integration aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Teachers will be assessed on their proficiency in digital content creation, educational AI tools, Learning Management Systems, and innovative teaching practices.
