Govt to roll out 8 vocational streams in 200 schools

With the aim to make school education skill-oriented, the Delhi government is contemplating the introduction of eight vocational streams, including beauty and wellness, automobile and travel and tourism, in 200 schools.

The streams, to be offered to students from class 9 to 12, will have four levels-A,B,C and D. The eight streams which will also include retail, financial marketing management, general duty assistant in health care, information technology, and security, are likely to be offered in the schools from October this year.

“We have recently signed <g data-gr-id="50">an MoU</g> with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to offer these streams and are now in the process of finalising training partners. Though this will take another month we are trying to squeeze as much as possible so that we can do substantial teaching this year,” said Director of Education, Padmini <g data-gr-id="39">Singhla</g>.

“After we finalise the training partners, we will enter into a tripartite agreement with Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), the sector skill council and the training partner.

“The project is being carried under the RMSA and state government is providing substantial budgeting. Earlier the funding used to come from RMSA only,” she added.

Following the agreement, the training partners will start the recruitment of teachers and trainers.

“We will start the classes by mid-October and will work on establishment of labs simultaneously in these schools because of the lack of proper infrastructure in some schools which is needed for teaching streams like beauty and wellness” Singhla said.

“The streams will be graded and, after the students have completed the D level by class XII, the courses will be integrated with ITIs, enabling them to pursue the area in full fledged manner,” she added.

“In the initial stage, there will be two vocational streams in each school for the students to choose as per their interest in the area. For now, the project will be carried out in 200 schools and we will expand it to more schools from next year,” <g data-gr-id="49">Singhla</g> said. There are at present 1,007 government-run schools in the national Capital.

The idea to introduce vocational courses in Delhi government schools was suggested by former President A P J Abdul Kalam to Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia during a meeting on June 7, 2015.

Addressing a gathering of teachers, educationists and government officers at the Delhi secretariat on July 2, Kalam had said that 25 <g data-gr-id="38">per cent</g> of school time, for students between class 9 to class 12, should be devoted to skill development.

He had also suggested Sisodia to provide two certificates to the students passing out from Delhi government schools namely an academic certificate to pursue further academic education and a vocational certificate to choose the vocation as per his/her area of interest.