Lok Sabha Question No. 1102 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-02
Subject: Education for Employment Opportunities in Small Towns
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Dr. Lata Wankhede

## Government of India Ministry of Education Department of School Education and Literacy

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1102

ANSWERED ON 02/12/2024

## Education for Employment Opportunities in Small Towns

† 1102. Dr. Lata Wankhede:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to introduce employment-oriented and vocational courses as well as to expand skill development programmes in small towns;
- (b) whether the Government has any plans to introduce new courses of skill development in schools and colleges of small towns to generate employment opportunities to the local youth in their areas;
- (c) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  provide  career  counselling  services  to  make students aware of employment opportunities and to help them to choose the right career in their areas; and
- (d) whether the Government proposes to open skill development and grooming centres in small towns and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a) to (d): The Government has adopted several steps to make school education more job-oriented and to increase the employable skill set of students. Under the Vocational Education component of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme 'Samagra Shiksha', financial assistance is given to States for offering National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) compliant vocational courses to the students from classes 9 th to 12 th in the schools covered under the scheme to develop knowledge and practical skills required for gainful employment. At the Secondary level i.e., Class IX and X, skill modules are offered to the students as an additional subject. At Sr. Secondary level, i.e., Class XI and XII, skill courses are offered as a compulsory (elective) subject. So far 138 Job Roles (JRs) / Skill subjects have been approved for implementation in States/UTs as per the Skill Gap Analysis. Employability Skill modules including Communication Skills, Self-Management Skills, Information and Communication Technology Skills, Entrepreneurship Skills, and Green

Skills are included in the curriculum of JRs. Assistance for setting up Vocational or Skill labs in schools  and  DIETS,  with  state-of-the-art  facilities,  is  also  provided.  The  existing  scheme  of Samagra  Shiksha  has  been  revamped  and  various  new  interventions  relating  to  Vocational Education like internships, bagless days, exposure to vocational education at the Upper Primary level etc. are being supported. The guidelines for 10 bagless days for students was launched on the 4 th Anniversary of NEP 2020.

In  coordination  with  the  Ministry  of  Skill  Development  and  Entrepreneurship,  the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) is implementing PMKVY 4.0 in the school education sector. Further, the Department of School Education and Literacy in partnership with industry is enhancing the knowledge and exposure of students in emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality.

The National Curriculum Framework for School Education, developed in pursuance of National  Education  Policy  2020,  has  laid  down  the  objectives  of  approaches  to  Vocational Education. One of the objectives is that vocational capacities, knowledge, and relevant values will  be  developed  for  all  students,  and  this  will  create  the  possibility  of  them  joining  the workforce after school if they choose to.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasises on the significance of counselling in schools as a key component of the educational framework. The policy advocates a holistic approach to career guidance, considering the individual needs, interests, and strengths of each student. NEP 2020 also promotes the use of technology and online resources to enhance career guidance  services.  DoSEL  has  launched  Career  Guide  book  for  School  Students  on  the  4 th Anniversary celebration of NEP 2020. This Career Guide Book consists of 500 career cards in 21  domains.  Each  career  card  contains  work  profile,  essential  Personal  Traits,  Course  fee, Scholarships,  Loan  prospects,  Entry  Pathway,  Details  about  course  providing  Institutions (Govt./Private/Online  course)  and  example  of  pioneers  in  the  field.  A  copy  of  this  book  is available at https://dsel.education.gov.in/careers/index.html

Career counselling at Secondary and Senior Secondary schools is considered of utmost importance which enables students to know the various career opportunities available as per their choice, need and strength. The revamped scheme of Samagra Shiksha provides for provisioning of  one  Academic  Resource  Person  for  career  counselling  at  each  Block/ULB  in  the  Block Resource Centre (BRC). DoSEL has also finalised the Guidelines for Provisioning of Academic Resource Person for career counselling in the BRCs under Samagra Shiksha which are available at https://dsel.education.gov.in/sites/default/files/update/guidelines\_brc\_1707.pdf.

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