Coimbatore: Classes are likely to start at the 64 government higher secondary schools selected to offer vocational courses for Class IX students in the state from Monday.
The classes will be held at the government higher secondary schools at Alandurai and Annur in Coimbatore.
The ministry of human resource development (MHRD) introduced vocational courses in government schools through Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan on pilot basis in 2018-19 to increase the number of entrepreneurs emerging from schools.
While as many as 67 higher secondary schools in the state including three in Coimbatore were selected in 2018-19, as many as 53 schools including one in Coimbatore were selected in 2019-20. Students are trained in agriculture, automotive, apparel madeu-ps and home furnishing, beauty and wellness, electronics and hardware and food processing. A school can offer two trades.
“While the school in Alandurai will offer training in agriculture and apparel made-ups and home furnishing, that in Annur will offer training in apparel made-ups and home furnishing and electronics and hardware. The schools were selected based on their strength and training, both hands-on and theoretical. Training will be provided to 40 students per trade for an hour every day. The newly selected schools will identify the students from Class IX as soon as they reopen,” an official with the school education department said.
Practical and theoretical examinations will be conducted every year and certificates will be provided once in two years, when students are in Class X and Class XII.
D Saranya, who teaches apparel made-ups and home furnishing, said teachers have been conducting online classes for Class X and XI students. “Most of the students are attending classes properly. After theory class, we would share a video explaining the procedure and ask students to do it. Most of the students could follow it and they have prepared records. Now that the schools are reopened for Class X students, we are concentrating more on practical sessions,” she told TOI.