Vocational education and training is an important element of national education initiatives and has been given special emphasis in the 12th Five-Year Plan. The session delved upon the importance of vocational education and capacity building if India has to reap the benefit of population dividend
Rashmi Arun Shami
Commissioner-cum-Director, Rajya Shiksha Kendra (RSK) & Ex-Officio Secretary-School Education, Government of MP
The perception is that vocational education is low paying needs to change in the country. The notion that only engineering and medical is high paying needs to be revisited. The belief that vocational education produces low quality workers for ourselves and for the rest of the world. This approach is fundamentally wrong. We should be looking at vocational education of higher quality that not only gives people basic skills, but also polished and higher skills. To be the best
in the world, we need to produce more people with higher and better skills. This is a challenge because we do not have enough quality vocational training teachers. However, I am hopeful we will be able to overcome this in the future.
Dr RB Shivagund
Joint Director, PSSCIVE, Bhopal
The Ministry of Human Resource and Development has introduced NVEQF and it is expected by the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan. It will make mandatory for all post-secondary schools to introduce vocational education as a part of regular education, which will allow us to impart skills to 55 crore people by 2025.
The government has also set up the National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC). They have scanned the entire universe of vocational education and divided into 21 sectors and prioritised them. The challenge is quality education and perception that vocational education is for unemployed people. However, like the Koreans or the Chinese, we should all be adequately skilled before getting a job.
Harvender Khalsa
Principal, Himalaya International School
It is very important to understand that vocational education does not mean emphasising only on practical or theoretical knowledge, rather it has a deep focus on providing an environment and training to a student in such a manner that he can easily earn for himself.
Sunil Pandya
Administrator, Vidyasagar School & College
There is a strong need to identify creativity and convert it into innovation, enhancing logical and interpretational skills, and providing better career opportunities. The time has come that we should accept that along with primary-secondary education, we need vocational training also as everyone cannot become an engineer, doctor, etc. Vocational education plays an essential role in an individual’s growth which in turn, results in the economic growth
