On 29th July 2020, the Central Government came up with the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. It replaced the National Education Policy of 1986. It aims at providing opportunities for School Students in getting vocational training and focuses on both conventional and practical learning. The objective of this policy is to facilitate SkillDevelopment among the youth.
So what is skill development?
Skill Development is the improvement of soft/ hard/ technical skills in a person. While knowledge about one's profession is important, we cannot deny the necessity of vocationalskills in a person.
What exactly are these skills?
Let’s understand that skills are in plenty. There are no one or two but a plethora of skill sets to master. While it is next to impossible to be the best in all of these but we can still take out time to learn as many of them as possible. It can roughly be classified as soft skills (communication, logical reasoning, critical thinking, etc.) and technical skills (plumbing, carpentry, pottery, etc.)
Why do we need skills?
The only thing most of us got from our 14 years plus 3-4 years of education under the previous system was a “degree”.
However, do you this suffices to become a successful professional? The answer is a big “No”. What about someone who doesn’t want to go the conventional way?
So does skill training help in creating new employment opportunities?
There
are many children who are talented in non- academic fields. It may vary
from art forms like dance or music to technical skills like plumbing or designing.
However, as per the Indian education system a person is not successful until
he/she is academically brilliant. These youngsters are often unable to excel in
an exam or get a job and become the victims of unemployment. Hence, the introduction
to new fields of study helps in creating new alternatives for students with
unique interests.
Is India lagging behind when it comes to Skills?
“The India Skills Report 2021 found
that about 45.9% of young people would be considered Unemployable. The number was
about 46.2% in 2020 and 47.4% in 2019.”
This means our people are becoming increasingly unemployable. The main reason is the flaw in our education system.
What is the need of NEP2020?
Our education system has not cared about the interests or talent of an individual. Most of the parents are obsessed over science stream. Our system does not identify a kid's talent. This mostly happens because of the lack of opportunities in school. A lot of parents cannot afford to put their children into such activities.
The current System is focused on creating employees who are abiding and responsibility shedding. The educated mass are risk averse and lack creativity.
Most of the students memorize theories without understanding its practical relevance or applicability in our day to day existence. While it is important to know the The Three Rs (Reading, Writing and Arithmetic), it is also important to comprehend what to learn and what not to learn. The previous educational system lacks practicality.
More focus on soft skills than hard skills.
Indians often find it difficult in presenting ideas. This is because of lack of exposure, confidence and skills.
A look at our ancient Indian education system.
If we study our Indian
education system we find that the institution of Gurukul/Ashram prepared
disciples for their worldly life by giving them both practical and theoretical training
as under;
- Students had to follow a strict schedule throughout
their daily activities and live an organized and disciplined life. This gave
them a holistic view of life.
- They were taught theories through Vedas and
scriptures.
- They were encouraged to learn different activities
like martial arts, sports and arts
- They were taught all the household chores needed
in running the Ashrams, later to be handy for running their household duties.
- They were taught the basics of reading, writing
and calculations.
- Moral values were imbibed through Ramayan and Mahabharat along with the life stories of heros.
What role does NEP 2020 play in providing such Skills?
A study
conducted by The Business Line (The Hindu) claims that 92% of employees in
India agree that there is skill gap.
“82 per
cent agree college education has not equipped them with the skills they need to
succeed in today’s job market. While 84 per cent said that skills are changing
so rapidly that their current knowledge is becoming obsolete.”
This is
what NEP concentrates on. To provide skills that we require in the real world, an
environment to learn new skills and possibilities, to enable young generation
to choose the best for them (beyond STEM) and to reduce the skill gap in
employees.
Vocational Training:
Teaching skills
like embroidery, pottery and horticulture for students based on their
interests.
Expectations from National Education Policy?
Expectations on this policy is definitely high. The young generation definitely requires a skill based educational system. Here are some points to consider;
- Introducing new technical skills like basic carpenter, plumbing and wiring for daily life.
- Giving more importance to
practical experiments in Science and Technology.
- Giving importance to
vocational skills like designing.
- Teaching of different art
forms at a young age at school in a way that children understand their talent
as they grow.
- Encouraging mother tongue or
local languages so that language does not become a barrier to learning.
- Teaching of practical life solutions.
At the forefront of this effort, is the company called YantroMitra.
YantroMitra Learning Technologies Private Limited, is an EdTech company that offers a wide range of professional training and courses on STEAM education and vocational educational. It also conducts fun & adventure activities for children like Pottery, Stargazing, Camping and much more. As per the NEP2020, emphasis on Skill development and holistic development of children is essential. We take pride in the fact that we are honest implementers of NEP 2020 in its true meaning. We are already engaged in providing these services to the schools in the southern region of India and are open to cater to other regions in the days to come.
You can contact us to know more about YantroMitra and the various STEAM Education product it offers please click here.
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