1.16 lakh students in J&K receive vocational education in schools: MoE

Srinagar, Dec 7: Around 1.16 lakh students across Jammu and Kashmir are receiving Vocational Education (VE) in their schools.

The move comes amid the sustained efforts of the government to introduce vocational courses for the students at secondary and higher secondary classes in schools in order to make them self reliant. As per the official figures issued by Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) in Ministry of Education (MoE), around 116392 students--90303 students in government schools under Smagra Shiksha and 26089 students in CBSE affiliated schools are receiving VE in their institutions.

As per the details shared by MoE, the enrollment of students in Vocational Courses has increased owing to emphasis laid on the VE and Skill Development in National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. "Integration of vocational education with general education and mainstreaming of vocational education have been recommended under NEP as well," the official document reads. In view of this, the GoI has revamped the existing scheme of Samagra Shiksha and various new interventions relating to Vocational Education like internships, bagless days, exposure to vocational education at the Upper Primary level are being supported.

"The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), through its various schemes, is coordinating all skill development efforts in the country," the document reads. The DSEL, as per the official documents, in coordination with MSDE is implementing Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 4.0 in the school education sector.

Notably, under the VE component of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) ‘Samagra Shiksha’, financial assistance is given to States for offering National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) compliant vocational courses to the students from classes 9th to 12th in the schools covered under the scheme.

Further, the official figures have revealed that the school dropout rates at all levels have witnessed a steady decline, both for boys and girls at National level. "As per UDISE data, for the academic year 2021-22, the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of the primary is 104.8 percent and the GER for the upper primary is 94.7 percent which is comparable to that of developed countries," the document reads.

As already reported, the NEP-2020 and National Curriculum Framework (NCF) of School Education emphasize increased exposure to vocational education and integration of vocational and academic studies. "The DSEL is continuously engaging with Indian Industrial units for vocational education and employment generation through education," the document reads.

Also, the CBSE has launched a partnership to boost engagement of the CBSE affiliated schools with META, in enhancing the knowledge of students in emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality. "MoUs have been signed with IBM for skilling learners across school education, higher education, and vocational skills on emerging technologies like cyber security, cloud computing and professional development skills," the document reads.

The J&K School Education Department is already providing VE in 14 different trades in various government high and higher secondary schools. The department is also gearing up to introduce the Vocational Courses from class 6th to 8th as envisioned under NEP-2020. "There has been emphasis on expanding the scope of vocationalization by introducing it in classes 6th to 8th. We are gearing up for it," an official said.
Also, the MoE has approved 1648 schools having 6th to 8th classes for introduction of Vocational Courses for the students.