Expert speak

Dinesh Kumar
Joint Commissioner, Academics, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan

At KVS we have introduced a number of courses in vocational arena – stock market and hospitality among them – and have roped in agencies to support us, including the National Stock Exchange. Unless you rope in industry to sponsor the programmes, vocational training will not succeed. In Germany, for example, industry takes responsibility of candidates, so that the latter have a clear cut path ahead of them, whereas in India they are left to fend for themselves, in the absence of industrial support.

Another stumbling block here is parental aspirations. We need to assure parents of vertical mobility for their wards – in the form of assurance of college admissions. Only then will there be takers for vocational education in school. One way of doing this is introducing integrated courses, wherein, along with academic subjects like physics and chemistry, there can be one vocational paper like mass media. The moment you provide that scope, the popularity of vocational courses will increase.

Anjum Iqbal
Officiating Principal, Jamia Girls Higher Secondary School, Delhi

Mostly, students until K-12 schools are solely dependent on their parents’ decisions. Therefore, to inculcate interest in them for vocational learning we first need to attract and clear the mindset of their parents about the vocational education. In one of the CBSE’s board meetings last year, it was outlined that a vocational course on stock exchange will be added in the upcoming Higher Secondary School curriculum. We in Jamia School, at that point in time tried to get the response from the parents about vocational learning. Unfortunately, we got very unwelcoming responses. In the modern-day Indian society, especially in North India, People do not considered vocational learning as a desirable form of education for their children. Hence, the first step for sowing love for vocational training among students must be changing the perspective of their parents towards it. However, since last few years, we have been consistently approached by some talented students of classes IX and X, who seemed to have developed a keen interest in pursuing fine arts after their XIIth board exams. In last year’s Taleemi Mela — a fest that Jamia School & University celebrates every year in November, these students sold various hand-made things for about Rs 60,000. We have decided that in the next year’s annual meeting with Vice Chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia, we would be seeking permission for introducing some basic vocational courses such as pottery, sketching, stitching, sculpturing etc. as a part of our extra-curricular activity. It will be solely optional. However, students, who would take it up will be credited with a certification after mastering the desired skill.


Archana Nigam
Vice Principal, Sister Nivedita Sarvo- daya Kanya Vidyalaya, Senior Secondary School, New Delhi

Interest in vocational education among school students has to be preceded by a change in the existing mindset of our complex society.

However, to achieve this goal, it has to be backed by apt Government policies. Vocation today is all about service providing. Both industry and Government should come to fore with some attractive business options for students taking up vocational education. A few years back, a scheme was outlined by State Government in Delhi that if any VIIIth grade pass student will come up with a good business idea, the Government will finance it. Such policies should be introduced to develop interest among students regarding vocational courses.

Secondly, vocational courses should also be taught in all senior secondary schools. Central Government should frame a policy, wherein it should be made mandatory for a student to pursue at least one vocational course available in his school.

In our school, we have career counsellors, who make sure that students develop a healthy attitude towards vocational skills. We keep on conducting small vocational work-shops for our students throughout the year. Every year, we organise a fest called ‘Career Mela’, where our students exhibit their skills by putting up their creative work.


Rev Fr Jeykumar
Principal, Burn Hall School, Srinagar

We are living in an era, where competition is huge — in and outside the country. Today, our generation is fast-paced, active and ambitious. They are also quick learners, thanks to technology. Anything that is to be devised for them should match their preferences. Students like to engage themselves with various technological gadgets and enjoy learning through innovative and creative ways. Any sort of learning — educational or vocational — targeting them must be provided through the use of technology. Putting technology innovatively in the vocational learning will create an impetus in youth to take up vocational education.

Secondly, the Government has to adopt appropriate strategies to maintain the quality of vocational courses, in whichever institute they are provided. A high-quality and nationally-recognised accreditation is a must to generate the influx of students in this field of learning. Why is it so that people related to the vocations like nursing mostly come from southern part of India? It is because people consider these vocational trainings as noble there? Or does it have to do with the fact that these are properly accredited and branded by the State Governments. Therefore, it is important that vocational education should be promoted with some high-quality and nationally recognised accreditation from the Centre.

And finally, the industry has to play a role by creating attractive partnerships with vocational institutions in order to narrow down the existing gap — by giving them smart opportunities to earn their livelihood with dignity.


Uma Ramachandran
Head of Academics, Indus World Schools, pan-India

It is a school’s responsibility to ensure that children explore and recognise their strengths and skills. They must be encouraged to discover their ‘true’ aptitude and interest and then work towards making it their vocation or profession. To ensure that children are able to do this, it is essential to build a rich and nurturing environment within the school. The children must be exposed to multiple experiences in curricular and co-curricular areas. Sports, music, art and aesthetic inputs must be built into their experience.

At Indus World School, we believe that career and life skills need to be nurtured in children from a young age. Guided by best practices from across the world we have consciously worked the skills into our curriculum. These skills include the ability to be flexible, to be able to adapt to change, to work effectively in teams and be responsible. And in our view the most essential skill for a productive work life is the ability to be self motivated, to set and manage goals and time. Leadership therefore is a central theme at our schools. We have integrated goal setting and managing tools into our curriculum. The maths and science that children learn is constantly evolving, but these soft skills are essential to any vocation that children choose to be in.

Also At Indus World our core purpose is to ‘enable career dreams’. We have a scientific career guidance test called Future Map that ensures that a child’s aptitude, personality and interest are mapped to suggest the most appropriate career path. This enables parents and students to make an
informed choice rather than relay only on subject aptitude of a child.


MY Wani
Chairman, Green Valley Educational Institute, Srinagar

There is a vital need for upgrading general education system by introducing some innovative models in it. I recommend that Central & State Governments should take stern steps towards making policies for introducing vocational courses in schools. We live in a world, where much knowledge is available and easily accessible — even to a person who has never been to a school — through technology and social media. Hence, the focus at present should not only be on imparting knowledge but also on skilling the youth — for gainful employment and for their better living.

Any change in an existing system to be recognised and accepted by the society takes time. Though students and their guardians have not yet recognised the vital need for vocationalisation of education, with proper branding, attractive learning, quality education, effective policies and most importantly attractive employment schemes from both industry and Government, it will create a massive demand. We have the example of China, which has over 70 per cent of its population vocationally educated and trained. We can look up to their vocational education models that they have introduced in their general education system, until a demand pull is created in our existing education system. Once we are on the track and pull is created, we can come up with our own innovative model.

— Interviews by Meha Mathur and Qasim Naqash