Altogether 97 government schools in the state are providing vocational education, free books and equipment such as agricultural tools to students for making learning fun and interesting.
Revealing this, principal director (PD) of School Education Thavaseelan K informed the Nagaland Post that 19 schools in Dimapur, five in Kiphire, 11 in Kohima, eight in Mokokchung, three in Longleng, 12 in Mon, eight in Peren, 10 in Phek, 11 in Tuensang), and five each in Wokha and Zunheboto were providing vocational education in sync with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
He said the state was gradually introducing vocational education in government secondary schools based on Unified District System of Education (UDISE) data, prioritising enrolment. Admitting that challenges initially existed in the assessment by specific sector skill councils, he however claimed that improvements were being observed with emphasis currently on enhancing employability skills. He said the Covid-19 pandemic impacted on-job training, leading to a shift towards monitoring and supervising internship programmes, adding that internship programmes totalling 80 hours were completed in 29 schools for students in grades 11 and 12 this year.
He disclosed that the Programme Approval Board (PAB) sanctioned 480 students under innovation, more than 600 students participated and a booklet on the internship programme would be released soon.
Despite being part of the curriculum, Thavaseelan said the internship programme was overlooked, prompting a decision to make it compulsory with stringent monitoring for grades 9 to 12 starting next year.
Admitting that tracking the mobility of students remained a challenge, he mentioned that efforts were underway for a breakthrough, revealing that an exit survey for the 2022-2023 academic year was conducted for students in grades 10 and 12, and the team was currently tracking the progress.
Noting that infrastructure too posed a challenge as vocational education required well-equipped functional labs, he said this had necessitated school heads to prioritise it.
He stressed that sensitising parents and the community was crucial, as many still associated vocational education solely with life skills.
The PD mentioned that Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS) Purana Bazaar, GHSS Diphupar, GHSS Ruzhukhrie, GHSS Jalukie, GHS Thaikhu, GHSS Tuensang, GHSS Seikhazou, TM, GHSS Peren, and GHSS Longleng had been delivering commendable performance, while GHSS Singrijan, which commenced operations in the current academic year, was also excelling.
Multi Skill Foundation Course 1 and 2
The ninth-grade curriculum encompassed skills vital for employability, including development of effective communication skills, cultivation of self-management abilities, fostering of entrepreneurial skills, and promotion of environmentally-conscious practices, commonly referred to as green skills.
Additionally, the curriculum includes vocational skills such as hands-on workshops and engineering techniques, exploration of energy and environmental topics, learning gardening, nursery management, and agriculture techniques, and focusing on personal health and hygiene.
The structure of Multi-Skill Foundation Course for 10th grade comprises four units – Workshop Engineering, Energy-Environment, Agriculture-Animal Husbandry, and Home and Health.
The instructional approach for this course emphasises hands-on experience, akin to learning activities like swimming or riding a bicycle. The syllabus necessitates that students acquire both theoretical knowledge and practical skills through active participation in real-world tasks.
As integration of theory and practical elements was fundamental to the learning process, students are being acquainted at each stage with information about the task and its underlying principles, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the acquired skills.
The courses expose students to a range of skills, aiding them in making informed decisions about their future pursuits, be it in business, employment, or further education and with diverse skill set, empowering students to choose an area aligned with their preferences and interests.
While exposure to various experiences enhanced students’ intellectual capacities, the students became familiar with the fundamental principles of each subject on gaining knowledge in different fields.
As real-world business scenarios often demanded the application of multiple skills, the multi-skill foundation course fosters interdisciplinary collaboration among students.
A teacher from government school here informed this correspondent these skills were not only important for academic success, but also for future career opportunities.
He claimed that these courses also contributed to the holistic development of individuals and enabled them to navigate the challenges of a rapidly changing world, besides exposing them to learning outside school where local artisans demonstrated on how to weave basket, make daos, chopping boards, etc.
Such activities had made the students respect manual work and also enlightened them to identify and plan skill-based productive activities and work apart from their daily classroom learning.
Under the NEP, vocational education includes integration with academic curriculum, early exposure, flexibility and choice, industry collaboration along with certification and recognition with emphasis on internships and practical training.
The NEP 2020 underscores the importance of vocational education as a means to provide students with a well-rounded skill set, enhance employability, and align education with the evolving needs of the job market.