State issues ‘district action plan’, SOP to strengthen career guidance in schools

Kolkata: The Paschim Banga Samagra Shiksha Mission (PBSSM) has issued a District Action Plan along with a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to strengthen the implementation of Life Skills and Career Guidance (LS-CG) programmes in state-run schools across Bengal, following findings of uneven implementation at the school level.

In a recent communication, the state project director of PBSSM directed all district education officers to disseminate the SOP, developed in collaboration with UNICEF, and ensure structured implementation, monitoring, mentoring and documentation of LS-CG activities. The plan seeks to ensure uniform and measurable district-wide implementation and to integrate skill education with students’ academic and personal development.

The decision follows a review of supervisory data from over 10,000 schools, which revealed gaps in teacher orientation, school-level planning, regular conduct of LS-CG sessions, observance of Career Week and availability of learning materials, despite state-level training and guidelines issued between 2023 and 2025. The action plan aims to address these gaps through standardised planning, reporting and oversight mechanisms.

Under the framework, every school will designate a nodal teacher to coordinate LS-CG planning, implementation and documentation. Along with weekly LS-CG activities under Ananda Parisar, schools must observe one Skill Education Day each month and conduct a Life and Career Skills Week annually, with student-led activities focused on career awareness and life skills.

Schools have been instructed to prepare an annual LS-CG calendar using a state-provided template, outlining class-wise and month-wise activities and linkages with Student Week and vacation projects. The SOP also specifies the responsibilities of heads of institutions, nodal teachers and teachers, and mandates the maintenance of monitoring registers and periodic reviews.

Implementation oversight will lie with district inspectors of schools, supported by school inspectors at the circle level. Districts have been asked to document good practices and include them in six-monthly progress reports to the State. An online orientation for district officials on the action plan will be held shortly, the communication said.