VOCATIONALISATION OF EDUCATION
 

PRESENT POSITION

INTRODUCTION

1. In 1976, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) document "Higher Secondary Education and its Vocationalisation" was presented to the country setting out a model conceptual framework for implementation. The programme for vocationalisation of higher secondary education was initiated in 1976. Since then it has been implemented in 10 States and 5 Union Territories. A number of other States are likely to introduce vocationalisation in the academic year 1986-87. The current intake in the vocational stream is of the order of 72,000. Only about 2.5% of students population entering higher secondary stage is covered by vocationalisation so far.

2. Being aware of the importance and need for diversification of secondary education - its vocationalisation, the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India and NCERT have initiated many actions and made many proposals. Evaluation studies of vocational programmes in most of the States were conducted to provide the findings to the States for improving implementation.

3. Inspite of all these efforts, the scheme of vocationalisation of education has not yet picked up. There have been many factors responsible for the slow progress, such as, absence of a well coordinated management system, unemployability of vocational pass outs, mis-match between demand and supply, reluctance in accepting the concept by the society, absence of proper provisions for professional growth and career advancement for the vocational pass outs etc. Renewed efforts are being made in many States to accelerate progress. Urgent steps to strengthen the vocational education system are therefore imperative.

MANAGEMENT OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

4. While the factors contributing to the rather unsatisfactory progress on the vocationalisation front may be many, the single most important aspect is the inadequate organisational structure to the task and its consequent inability to implement the accepted policies.

5. At present the management systems for various sectors of vocational education work in isolation and with hardly any coordination either at the national, regional or state level.

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6. At national level, the post-secondary vocational education (vocationalisation) and vocational education for the out-of-school population are being looked after by many organisations under different ministries (like Agriculture, Health, Rural Development, Human Resource Development etc.) without having proper coordination and linkages. Vocational programmes cover a wide range of disciplines. These include agriculture, business and commerce, engineering and technology, health and paramedical services, home science, humanities and others.

7. At state level the system is still fragmented and inadequate. A few states have a full time Directorate, the others have a middle level official looking after the vocationalisation programme in addition to his other responsibilities. No mechanism is available to coordinate the vocational programme at district levels and to undertake activities like, district level need surveys for identification of manpower requirements, for developing need based vocational courses etc. In addition, provision made for activities like curriculum design, resource material preparation, training of vocational teachers etc. are inadequate considering the massive nature of the task.

8. Keeping in view the variety of functions to be performed in planning and implementing programmes of vocational education and the scale of operations commensurate with the desired changes at post- primary, post-secondary and post-higher secondary stages, it is necessary to organise an effective management system.

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMES

Work Experience in General Education

9. At the primary stage of education from class 1 to 5 Socially Useful Productive Work (SUPW)/Work Experience (WE) forms an integral part of the curriculum in many states. Inspite of its good intentions of developing proper attitudes, the actual implementation both in coverage and quality leaves much to be desired.

10. At the middle school stage SUPW/WE programmes aim at developing confidence and sufficient psychomotor skills to students to enter the world of work directly or through certain occupational training courses.

SECONDARY STAGE (CLASSES 9-10)

11. The SUPW/WE programmes for the secondary stage are viewed as a linear extention of that for the middle stage. These activities at secondary stage are also expected to enable students to opt for vocational programmes at the +2 level with better appreciation and undertaking. It may also be mentioned that a significant number of students drop out after this stage. Hence the programmes of SUPW/WE are expected to ensure to modest preparation for students before they leave the school, to enable them to choose an occupation. Such pre- vocational courses are to be handled by teachers

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with specific skills and competence. These programmes also need proper resources within the school.

HIGHER SECONDARY STAGE

12. The vocational courses at higher secondary stage are to be regarded not as a preparation for the college, but as a period for preparing an increasingly large number of school-leavers for different vocations in life. The need for vocationalisation of higher secondary education has been conceded by all, but the problems in its implementation may be appreciated by the fact that only a small percentage of students population has been covered by vocationalisation in the past nine years (1976-85). The estimated number of students seeking admission to +2 in 1985 is of the order of 25 lakhs. Even if 10% of this population was to be diverted for vocational courses, the number should have been over 2.50 lakhs, against the present intake of 0.72 lakhs. The problem can be further appreciated, if this data is seen against the Kothari Commission's recommendation, expecting a diversion of 50% of 10+ students for vocational education.

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION: OTHER FORMAL PROGRAMMES

13. The country has developed over the years, a network of vocational schools, vocational institutes and polytechnics. Nearly 2% to 3% of the school going children enter such institutes like Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), Junior Technical Schools etc. These institutions handle essentially full time students who meet the need of organised sector. The annual intake is of the order of 5 lakhs.

14. Kothari Commission has visualised that at 8+ about 20% of the students will step off the general stream and enter schools of vocational education. Similarly, a large percentage of 10+ students are to be diverted to such vocational institutions. However, the present vocational institutions are not able to cater to this large number of students after 8+ and 10+ stage. There is, therefore, a need for expansion of the regular vocational education programmes in terms of opening more institutions and introduction of new vocational areas.

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AT TERTIARY LEVEL

15. One of the factors responsible for the slow progress of vocationalisation of secondary education is lack of opportunities for the vocational pass -- outs for their professional growth and career advancement.

16. The current prejudice against vocational education will not disappear unless a reasonable chance of worthwhile employment or an advantage in moving upwards into a professional or general programme of education is provided to the students of vocational courses at the secondary level.

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17. Such programmes could include Diploma, special degree courses, general degree courses, professional degree courses. At present, opportunities for further education for students of vocational stream in +2 are almost non-existant. Hence suitable strategies are to be evolved for providing opportunities 'for the vocational products to enter appropriate 'Tertiary level' programmes.

APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING

18. The products of the vocational stream at +2 level are quite distinct from those from the ITIs and Polytechnics who have been covered under the Craftsmen and Technician Apprenticeship training schemes. It has been strongly recommended by several committees connected with vocational education that vocational students of the +2 stage should be brought under the umbrella of apprentice scheme as an important catalyst for the promotion of vocational 'education. At present a few of the 120 vocational courses offered at the +2 level in the country are selected for the special vocationalised education training scheme launched by MHRD. Appropriate actions are to be taken for Introducing apprentice scheme to as many vocational courses as required.

OTHER VOCATIONAL PROGRAMMES

19. The vocational courses in Higher Secondary Schools and Vocational and Technical Training Schools/Institutes cater only to the requirements of organised sector of the economy. However, it is the unorganised sector which absorbs the bulk of workforce. Consequently one sees the phenomenon of mounting unemployment among the educated at one end and shortage of plumbers, car mechanics, electricians, carpenters and manpower in numerous other trades at the other end.

20. It is estimated that about 80% of the student population do not go beyond class 10. The drop outs upto and inclusive of class 8 are over 120 lakhs per year. Roughly 20 lakhs of boys and girls cross class 8 but do not go beyond class 10. All of them form a large pool of unskilled labour force. They need opportunities for training in some skills either in their traditional occupations or in new areas to enable them to take up skilled and gainful occupations.

21. In addition, there is a backlog of school drop outs who have crossed the school age and are working as semi-skilled and skilled workers. The total labour force in the country in the age group of 15 to 59 consists of all these groups and is of the order of about 23.70 crores (March 1980). Of this only about 10% is in the organised sector. The remaining are either employed without training, partially employed or unemployed.

22. There has not been planned educational programmes for this large population. Agencies like community polytechnics, TRYSEM, Krishi Vigyankendras, Nehru Yuvak Kendras, KVIC, Social Welfare

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Centres, All India Handicraft Boards, Council for Advancement of Rural Technology etc. are not contributing to many non-formal programmes, to some extent. Concerted and well coordinated efforts are required to meet the demands of this task.

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION: SPECIAL GROUPS

23. The tribal and rural population do not have adequate access to school education, vocational courses in schools or vocational/ technical training schools/institutions. There is also a paucity of vocational courses/institutions to cater to the women population whose earning power could be considerably augmented through vocational training. Handicapped and disabled persons form another significant section of the society who have at present practically no avenues to acquire-suitable productive skills to make their living more meaningful and self reliant.

PROGRAMMES

24. The policy statements concerning the system for vocationalisation have been clustered with reference to inter related objectives, priorities and programmes into four key areas so as to ensure logical development of programmes of action. These areas include "development of the system", "vocational education programmes", "programmes for special groups" and "out of school population" and "targets and preparations for development".

PRE-REQUISITES, PRIORITIES AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES

25. It is important to view the programme of vocationalisation at the higher secondary stage, as an important component of the overall school education both as a self-contained stage as well as feeder to the general and professional education at the tertiary stage. The Management system proposed in subsequent paragraphs for the vocational effort therefore, should be seen as supportive/ complementary to the current system for the management of school education. In implementing the plan of Action for vocationalisation the following guiding principles will apply:

(i) The policy clearly stipulates that a minimum of 10% of students at the +2 stage should be diverted to the vocational stream by the end of the 7th Plan. This would be achieved largely by making use of the existing set up for administration, provision of research and developmental support, and certification of the vocational programmes. The existing system for this purpose will have to be suitably strengthened in order that it is functionally adequate to cope with the dimensions of the task during the 7th plan and could provide the nucleus for a more elaborate set-up needed for meeting greater challenges during the subsequent Plans.

(ii) A beginning, however, would have to be made during the 7th Plan towards establishing the desired new structure because

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it will take some time for the structures to come into being and to develop professional competence and expertise for the task ahead. While the report of the National Working Group under the Chairmanship of Dr. Kulandaiswamy provides a suitable model, the principle of flexibility to suit the requirements of the respective States will be followed. It would allow the organisational structures to be modulated by the States according to the planned coverage, implementation stage of the programme, and specific local contexts. It would be desirable to involve institutions of higher education in the vicinity of the target schools in the promotion and implementation of the vocational programme.

(iii) While the target in relation to the +2 stage will be fulfilled and efforts will be made to exceed the target, modest beginning will be made during this Plan in the area of non-formal vocational education for drop-outs and other target groups. This will help to gain sufficient experience and expertise before undertaking expansion of the programme on larger scale in the 8th and subsequent Plans. Greater accent on the +2 programme in the current Plan will also create a pool of human resources needed for future expansion of vocational education both in the formal and non-formal sectors.

(iv) In relation to the targets laid down in the Policy for the 7th Plan it is necessary to recognise that there is a minimum level of funding below which a meaningful programme of vocationalisation cannot be implemented. A level of funding below. this critical level will not make much impact and. could indeed be counterproductive by discrediting the concept of vocationalisation.

(v) It is important to generate acceptability and respectability for vocationalisation of education. For this purpose (1) Efforts will have to be made by employment sectors of the economy to create a demand for vocationally trained manpower. Agencies and sectors will be expected to identify jobs which require vocational skills and in recruitment to these jobs preference will have to be given to the graduates of the vocational programmes. It may be recognised that access to such jobs by those holding higher but vocationally irrelevant qualifications has been a strong deterrent to the vocational education effort in the past. (2) Linkages through bridge courses, modification of existing educational programmes, and other measures, should create a situation for greater professional advancement of the vocational graduates. Opportunities for higher education, continuing education and training. will have to be created.

(vi) The role of the +2 stage in schools vis-a-vis those of the polytechnics, ITIs and other certificate level institutions

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in providing vocational opportunities have to be outlined. While ITIs and polytechnics would cater generally to the organised industrial sector., the thrust in the school programme would be on the sectors not covered by them and on the potentially very much larger service sector. The school system would give greater attention to the areas of Agriculture, Agro- industries, Business and Commerce, Home' Science, and Health and Para-medical vocations. However, this demarcation is not meant to exclude institutions from taking up vocational programmes in other areas if a need is identified and other institutional mechanisms are not available.

(vii) On an average 10 additional schools will be taken up in each district by the end of 7th Plan for vocational effort at the +2 stage with a minimum intake of 40 students.

The Plan of action in regard to the four areas mentioned earlier is given below.

(A) DEVELOPMENT OF THE SYSTEM

Developing Organisational Structure:

26. A Joint Council for Vocational Education (JCVE) will be set up by the MHRD, to be the apex body for policy planning and coordination of vocational education at national level. In addition a Bureau for Vocational Education will be established in the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).

27. A Central Institute of Vocational Education (CIVE) under the NCERT will be set up to perform research and development, monitoring and evaluation functions.

28. State Governments will set up appropriate bodies/organisations like State Councils of Vocational Education (SCVE), State Institutes of Vocational Education (SIVE), Departments of Vocational Education, and district-level coordination committees as per their needs and requirements.