Lok Sabha Question No. 2409 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-18
Subject: Up-skilling of Learners
Ministry: Education
Asked by: S. Jagathrakshakan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2409 ANSWERED ON 18.12.2023

## Up-skilling of Learners

## 2409.  SHRI S. JAGATHRAKSHAKAN:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- a) whether the Government has drawn any action plan to achieve its aim of up-skilling at least 50 per cent of learners in schools and higher education systems by 2025;
- b) if so, the details thereof; and
- c) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (c): NEP 2020  recommends  that  by  2025,  at  least  50%  of  learners  through  the school and higher education system shall have exposure to vocational education.

The Government has taken several steps for development of vocational capacities in schools in pursuance of the recommendations of NEP 2020. 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. At the Secondary level, i.e. Class 9 and 10, vocational modules are offered to the students  as  an  additional  subject.  At  the  Senior  Secondary  level,  i.e.  Class  11  and  12, vocational courses are offered as a compulsory (elective) subject.

States/UTs  can  now  opt  from  88  Job  Roles  in  22  Sectors  as  per  the  Skill  Gap Analysis of the State/UT.   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.  In  coordination  with  the  Ministry  of  Skill  Development  and Entrepreneurship,  the  Department  of  School  Education  and  Literacy  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 that schools must provide students with a broad and experiential introduction to different kinds of work and develop a deep and defined set of practical competencies.

The Department of Higher Education has started National Internship Portal with an aim to provide practical hands-on experience to students. It provided opportunity to students to enhance their skill in different domains such as embedded engineering, AI, robotics, web development, urban governance etc. More than 10,500 colleges, 75,000 companies and 1.97 Crore students are registered on the portal and 29.5 lakh internships have been offered.

Further, the National Credit Framework has been jointly developed by all stakeholders for integrating learning on all dimensions i.e. academics, vocational skills and experiential  learning  including  relevant  experiences  and  proficiency/  professional  levels acquired.

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