Lok Sabha Question No. 1350 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-07-25
Subject: Quality of Education
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Ajay Nishad

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1350 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25th July, 2022

## Quality of Education

†1350.  SHRI AJAY NISHAD:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  details  of  various  initiatives  taken  to  improve  the  quality  of  education  at every level i.e from Primary Level to University Level; and
- (b)  the  details  of  the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  start Vocational  Education  at  school  level  in  various  States  of  the  country  including Bihar in order to make Secondary education job oriented?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SMT. ANNPURNA DEVI)

- (a): The following initiatives have been taken by the Department of School Education and Literacy, MoE to improve the quality of education upto Higher Secondary level:
1.  National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN  Bharat)  has  been  launched  under  Samagra  Shiksha  for ensuring that every child in the country necessarily attains foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) by the end of Grade 3, and e-content for the same has been released in DIKSHA platform.
2.  NISHTHA integrated training programme 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 Integrated Teacher Training  Programme  has  been  introduced  for  different  stages  of  school education  for  Teachers,  Head  Teachers/Principals  and  other  stakeholders  in Educational Management.
3.  Learning Outcomes for the Secondary level have been notified.
4.  National  Achievement  Survey (NAS)  2021 has been conducted on 12 th November 2021 by the Ministry of Education to evaluate children's progress and learning competencies as an indicator of the health of the education system, and to take appropriate steps for remedial actions at different levels.
5.  A  70  indicator-based  matrix  Performance  Grading  Index  (PGI)  has  been developed to grade the States/UTs. District level Performance Grading Indices (PGI) have been prepared and a Web application for compilation of PGI-District has been developed.
6.  The Structured Assessment for Analyzing Learning levels (SAFAL) framework has been developed by CBSE  and  launched on 29th July 2021 for Competency-based  assessment  in  CBSE  schools  for  grades  3,  5  and  8 focusing on testing for core concepts, application-based questions and higherorder thinking skills.
7.  VIDYA PRAVESH-Guidelines for Three-month Play-based School Preparation Module for Grade-I Children have been released on 29th July 2021 to ensure that all children are exposed to a warm and welcoming environment when they enter Grade-I.
8.  Introduction of Indian Sign Language as a subject at secondary level by National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).

Also, the following initiatives have been taken by the Department of Higher Education, MoE upto University level to improve the quality of education:

1.  Academic  Bank  of  Credit  Scheme  has  been  launched  on  29.07.2021to promote flexibility of curriculum framework and interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary  academic  mobility  of  students  across  the Higher Education Institutions in the country with appropriate 'Credit Transfer' mechanism.
2.  Credit  Framework  for  Online  Learning  Courses  through  SWAYAM  (Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) Regulations, 2021 have been notified on 25 th  March, 2021 to allow up to 40% of the total courses being  offered  in  a  particular  programme  in  a  semester  through  the  online learning courses offered through SWAYAM platform. With this, the students
3. studying in conventional Institutes/Colleges can transfer the credits earned through the SWAYAM Courses into their academic records.
3.  Shodh Shuddhi Programme has been initiated by MoE, Government of India which provides access to Plagiarism detection software to all Universities/ Institutions in India.
4.  Repository  of  over  1000  virtual  lab  experiments  to  provide  a  complete learning system around the virtual lab where the students/teachers can avail themselves  of  the  various  tools  for  learning,  including  additional  web resources, video lectures, animated demonstrations and self-evaluation.
5.  National Digital Library - a digital repository of a vast amount of academic content in different formats and provides interface support for leading Indian languages for all academic  levels including researchers and lifelong learners, all disciplines, all popular forms of access devices and differentlyable learners.
6.  Life skills (Jeevan Kaushal) for students, a curriculum has been prepared to empower graduates with the vital skills required for global employment.
7.  Faculty Induction Programme (FIP), has been developed to familiarise the teachers  with  the  structure,  functioning,  rules,  regulations  etc;  understand their roles and responsibilities; explore pedagogical processes and recognise  the  importance  of  self-development  and  nurturing  ethics  and values in higher education.
8.  A scheme for Trans-disciplinary Research for India's Developing Economy (STRIDE) to strengthen research culture and innovation in higher educational institutions has been introduced.
9.  The  consortium  for  Academic  Research  and  Ethics  (CARE)  has  been established to promote research integrity and publication.
10.  Guidelines for 'Mentoring of NAAC  Aspirants  Institutions by a wellPerforming  Institution  to promote  Quality  Assurance  in  Higher  Education, 'PARAMARSH' has been prepared for helping mutual support and growth among various HEIs.
11.  MulyaPravah -Guidelines for the inculcation  of  Human  values  and Professionals Ethics in Higher Educational Institutions have been developed.
12.  Human  Resource  Development  Centers  (HRDC),  Scheme  of  Academic Staff colleges have been introduced to maintain high standards of teaching in Universities and Colleges.
13.  Institutions  of  Eminence  (IOE)  Scheme  have  been  launched  to  implement the commitment  of  the Government  to  empower  Higher  Educational Institutions  and  to  help  them  become  world-class  teaching  and  research institutions.

(b):   The Department of School Education and Literacy is implementing an initiative of  Vocationalisation  of  School  Education  under  the  aegis  of  Centrally  Sponsored Scheme 'Samagra Shiksha'. The scheme aims at integrating Vocational Education with  general  academic  education  in  all  Secondary/Senior  Secondary  schools; enhancing the Employability and Entrepreneurial abilities of the students, providing exposure  to  the  work  environment;  and  generating  awareness  amongst  students about  various  career  options  to  enable  them  to  choose  in  accordance  with  their aptitude,  competence  and  aspirations.   The  scheme  covers  Government  and Government aided schools.

Under the Vocational Education component of 'Samagra Shiksha', National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) compliant vocational courses are offered to the students from class 9th to 12th in the schools covered under the scheme. The Employability  Skills  module  has  been  made  a  mandatory  part  of  the  vocational courses.  It  consists  of  Communication  Skills,  Self-Management  Skills,  Information and Communication Technology Skills, Entrepreneurship Skills and Green Skills.

At the Secondary level i.e. Class IX and X, vocational modules are offered to the students as an additional subject. At Sr. Secondary level, i.e. Class XI and XII, vocational  courses  are  offered  as  a  compulsory  (elective)  subject.  Vocational Courses  are  selected  based  on  notional  hours,  age  &  educational  qualification prescribed and suitability for school students.

Further, to fulfil various objectives  of NEP, the existing scheme of Samagra Shiksha  has  been  revamped  and  various  new  interventions  relating  to  Vocational Education have been incorporated including the following:

-  Coverage of Vocational Education has been expanded to cover Government aided schools also in addition to Government Schools.
-  The  provision  for  Hub  and  Spoke  Model  has  been  made.  Under  this model, the infrastructure available in the Hub schools will be utilized by the students of nearby schools (spoke schools) for vocational training. As of now, 1002 Hub schools and 1038 Spoke schools have been approved in 21 States/UTs.
-  Exposure to pre-vocational education at the Upper Primary level, internships,  bagless  days  etc.  has  been  included  under  the  Innovation component of Samagra Shiksha. Till 2021-22, 7136 schools are approved for providing exposure to Vocational Education at the Upper Primary level.

To date, 14435 schools including 81 schools of Bihar have been approved for providing Vocational Education under Samagra Shiksha to all States/UTs.

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