Lok Sabha Question No. 3781 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-24
Subject: Practical Work in Schools and  Colleges
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Zia Ur Rehman

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3781 ANSWERED ON 24.03.2025

## Practical Work in Schools and Colleges

3781. Shri Zia Ur Rehman:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government agrees with the view that the neglect of practical work in schools and in  vocational  training  centres  including  polytechnics  and  engineering  colleges  is  a  cause  of concern;

(b)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  steps  proposed  to  be  taken  by  the  Government  to  inspire individuals and to ensure speedy, accurate and correct reforms are put in place by the institutions in this regard; and

(c) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (c): National Education Policy 2020 has envisaged a complete re-imagination of how skill education  will  be  offered  to  students.  This  policy  recommends  integrating  skill  education programmes into mainstream education in all education institutions in a phased manner. Focus areas  for  Skill  education  will  be  chosen  based  on  skills  gap  analysis  and  mapping  of  local opportunities.

Under the Skill Education component of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme 'Samagra Shiksha' financial assistance is provided to State/UTs for offering National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) aligned skill courses to the students from class 9 th to 12 th . 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. Exposure of prevocational  education  at  Upper  Primary  level,  10  bagless  days  etc.  have  been  included  under Innovation component of Samagra Shiksha. Under Samagra Shiksha, NSQF level aligned Job Roles

(JRs) are implemented with a focus on new age skills like Industry 4.0, Web 3.0, AI/ML, AR/VR, Climate Change, Green Economy, and Energy Transition. 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 Job Roles (JRs). The curriculum for the JRs is continuously updated to include more practical training, workshop practices,  and  hands-on  projects.  Provision  has  also  been  made  under  Samagra  Shiksha  for specialized  practical  work  and  training  in  commercial  and  industrial  establishments, ITIs, polytechnics, community colleges, hospitals, agricultural farms etc.

NEP 2020 also recommends that all students participate in a 10-day bagless period during Grades 6-8 where they intern with local experts such as carpenters, gardeners, potters, artists, etc. In pursuance of this recommendation, the Government in consultation with concerned stakeholders has developed guidelines for 10 bagless days. These guidelines aim at providing children of classes 6-8 an exposure to skill education using experiential learning pedagogy and to make learning at schools joyful and stress free. The guidelines are available at https://www.psscive.ac.in/storage/uploads/others/Guidelines/pdf/english/guidelines-forimplementation-of-10-bagless-days-in-school-english.pdf.

In alignment with the objectives of NEP 2020, the National Credit Framework (NCrF) was notified by University Grant Commission (UGC) and a copy of the same is available at https://www.ugc.gov.in/pdfnews/9028476\_Report-of-National-Credit-Framework.pdf.

In order to implement NCrF, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has notified the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for implementing the operationalisation of NCrF in schools for Class 9 to 12. A copy of the notification may be seen at https://cbseacademic.nic.in/web\_material/Notifications/2023/75\_Notification\_2023.pdf. The State/UTs were also given the flexibility to evolve and develop their own SOP by taking the aforesaid CBSE-SOP as a model.

CBSE has allocated 20-70% weightage to practical work/project/ internal assessment for academic subjects  as  per  the  demand  of  the  subject  and  also  has  allocated  50%  weightage  to practical work of all skill subjects.

National  Institute  of  Open  Schooling  (NIOS)  offers  skill  courses  through  accredited institutes like schools, NGOs, ITIs etc. The practical and theory classes are monitored by NIOS on a regular basis.

AICTE  has  taken  several  measures  to  make  the  course  content  for  polytechnics  and engineering colleges, more practical and provide additional industry exposure to the students. It has made internship integrated part of technical education through its Internship Policy and has developed AICTE Internship portal to bridge the gap between academic learning and industry requirements  and  to  facilitate  the  student's  internships.  This  portal  is  offering  around  54  lakh internships posted by around 76578 industries and government organizations, which covers more than 11,485 institutions and 2 crore students have registered on the portal so far.

AICTE has developed an initiative named 'Innovation Design and Entrepreneurship (IDE) Bootcamp' which is an intensive training program designed to nurture and develop entrepreneurial skills  among  young  individuals.  It  aims  to  create  a  robust  ecosystem  for  innovation  and entrepreneurship in the country. Some of the key features of the bootcamp are as follows:

- Curriculum: The bootcamp offers a comprehensive curriculum covering various aspects of entrepreneurship,  including  ideation,  design  thinking,  business  model  development, marketing, and fundraising.
- Hands-on Learning: Participants engage in hands-on activities, workshops, and projects to apply the concepts they learn.
- Networking Opportunities: Participants have the opportunity to network with successful entrepreneurs, investors, and other stakeholders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
- Funding and Support: Selected participants may receive seed funding, incubation support, and access to resources to help them launch and scale their start-ups.
- These initiatives reflect the government's commitment to fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, providing young individuals with the necessary skills, knowledge, and support to succeed as entrepreneurs.

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