However, here is the catch. Almost all of dropouts get funneled into vocational education that guarantees skills development and ensures employability. This is a non-existing sector in India.
In China, for example, there are 50,000 vocational senior secondary schools. We have not even one in India and correcting this anomaly is long overdue.
My wish is that the Finance Minister makes it mandatory for each school in the country to offer vocational training courses in the second shift (3 pm to 7pm). As a pilot, about a 1,000 government schools could be selected per state, and supported by the local ITI to offer these courses to the youngsters in the local community. Financial support, technical expertise, certification from DGVT, scholarships, industry tie-ups and placements for certified students could form an integral part of the scheme.
New focus on teacher-training institutes
Brand India across the globe has an inordinate contribution from the higher education institutes, such as the IIMs and IITs. A few other institutions, too, are on their way to becoming distinctive and well-known, including the National Law schools, NIFTs etc,.
The FM should provide direction and formulate appropriate programmes and funding to create centres of excellence in the area of teacher training. The few centres of excellence such as the CET, RTI, etc,. need to be upgraded and funded to become the fountainheads of educational leadership. We need principals, district education officers, curriculum leaders etc, in thousands.
Our focus on building institutions which will lead to this capacity that is directly linked to the nation’s growth must be an integral part of the most followed and keenly awaited speech in the Parliament.
Expand vocational training programmes
The PPP, in creating the vocational training capacities, needs continued acceleration. The employability figures in the country look gloomy. Much of young India, devoid of appropriate livelihood poses potential social danger.
The scheme to bring more of it into play through PPP needs greater thrust. The PPP for the entire set of 1600 ITIs could be completed in the coming fiscal year itself instead of dragging it over the next 2–3 years. Also, the programme to create a new breed of modern ‘ITI’ (Industrial Training Institutes) through public-private partnerships needs closer monitoring and financial incentives for better execution.
The FM must include checks and balances to ensure that we have at least 100 ITIs coming into operation in each state in the coming financial year. It is a tough ask…. but, we are in desperate times as far as employability is concerned.
Open up FDI for education
FDI in education is a sensitive subject to a diverse group for varied reasons – politically sensitive to some, sheltered for too long and hence scary to others, sheer inertia to a few more, and so on.
However, my view is entirely different and might sound contra-intuitive, too. I see the opening up of the education sector as a strategic intervention to gain competitive advantage in today’s’ knowledge world.