Skill-based training improves students’ performance: Study

Skill-based training helped teenagers focus on their studies, increased their school attendance and also helped them score better, says a study by a city-based NGO.

Salaam Bombay Foundation, which works with teenagers from the economically lower strata of society, conducted a study in 70 civic-run schools.

It was found that students of Class 9 in the 70 schools had 78% attendance throughout the year.

Those who attended the skill-based programme, conducted by the Foundation, recorded 86% attendance previous academic year.

The Foundation conducts the programme for Class 9 civic students.

The study surveyed 5,061 students, of which, 3,053 were not part of skill-based training.

“It is a mindset that people have that it is okay for kids to fail. As a result, skill-based training becomes a taboo because many consider it to be only for those students who fail. Instead, skills need to be imbibed with education,” said Padmini Somani, founder and director, Salaam Bombay Foundation.

The study also mentioned that the overall pass percentage in the SSC board examination for BMC and government-aided schools was 74%.

Around 471 students, who attended skill-based training, from 24 schools scored a pass percentage of 92%.

On Monday, the Foundation launched an initiative, DreamLab, which will help adolescents intern with reputed companies in banking, retail and IT, among others.

“DreamLab will act as an aggregator to provide municipal school students with experiential learning platforms, otherwise inaccessible to them. Also, they can earn money and fund their education,” said Gaurav Arora, vice-president, projects (skills and sports), Salaam Bombay Foundation.

First Published: Jul 16, 2019 08:24 IST