Vocational education to improve at 100 state schools: Haryana education minister

About 1,001 government schools were introduced to the skill development programmes under a separate vocational training scheme which was approved by CM Manohar Lal Khattar.

Haryana education minister Ram Bilas Sharma said on Thursday that the the state is working to improve vocational education at 100 schools. A Swedish organisation called Kunskapsskolan is collaborating with the state for this purpose.

Representatives of the National Skill Development Corporation and Kunskapsskolan were present at the meeting of the Haryana School Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad on Thursday. It was decided during the meeting that a pilot project to develop skills in retail, IT/ITes and beauty and wellness will be launched at 100 government-run senior secondary schools in the state from the academic session beginning in 2018.

“It will be a unique model of personalised learning which can be adapted to make vocational education more effective. Under the pilot project, life skills such as effective communication, digital literacy, entrepreneurship,  critical thinking, problem-solving and self-management would be the outcome of the proposed innovative methodology that will help the students,” said the state education minister. The project will include an investment of 9.4 crores, according to KK Khandelwal, additional chief secretary of school education.

“Out of this, Rs 3.4 crore will be invested by Kunskapsskolan Education (KED) and Manav Rachna International University under agreement with the NSDC, Rs 3 crore by KED via CSR funding from Swedish companies operating in India, and Rs 3 crore via innovation fund from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, routed through the Haryana School Education Department,” said Khandelwal.

He further commented that the equipment compliant to the National Skills Qualification Framework will be put in place by March next year. He added that till will use “KED technology or methodology” and that students enrolled in these vocational courses will be referred to as scouts and guides. About 1,001 government schools were introduced to the skill development programmes under a separate vocational training scheme which was approved by CM Manohar Lal Khattar.

“The scouts already studying in schools will also be encouraged to enroll themselves in vocational courses under the pilot. All stakeholders will take preliminary steps to ensure that the pilot, with prior approval of MHRD, is launched in 100 government senior secondary schools from the next academic session commencing April 1, 2018,” Khandelwal said.