How Delhi’s govt schools are betting big on vocational education

How Delhi's govt schools are betting big on vocational education

As AI and automation reshape white-collar work, experts call for making vocational skills feel like a genuine career path rather than an alternative

“No student will say he or she wants to be an electrician or carpenter, and that’s also because the earnings growth path isn’t as visible in skilled trades as it is in white-collar jobs, which also offer job security, fixed working hours and insurance,” said Soumya Jain, founder and CEO of the non-profit iTeach Schools.

Jain was speaking during the panel discussion ‘NEP@Work: Secondary Education and Skilling’ at a social impact event organised recently by The/Nudge Foundation in New Delhi.

NEP 2020 has made mainstreaming vocational education a priority, introducing it as early as middle school to build interest in hands-on learning before students specialise. Under the policy, vocational courses are offered from Class 6, with Kaushal Bodh serving as the vocational education textbook for Grades 6 to 8, and Kaushal Vikas for skill education in Grade 9. Both have been developed in line with NEP 2020.

Vocational subjects in Maharashtra have 70 marks for practicals and 30 for theory in board exams. This, Jain said, gives a fair chance to all kinds of students to score well in exams.

DELHI TAKES THE LEAD

Government schools in Delhi are among those implementing this in a big way, said Pranjal Patil, state project director and additional director (vocational), Samagra Shiksha, Directorate of Education, government of NCT of Delhi. New labs are being set up and implementation is underway in around 1,000 Delhi government schools. The state is also retraining Maths and Science teachers to teach vocational skills, for instance, applying science concepts to gardening and healthcare, said Patil.

THE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL MATTERS

According to Jain, for vocational education to have real impact, the role of the school principal is critical. “They have to play the role of curator and coach to ensure that STEM, social learning, hobby clubs, etc., offer students the best possible experience,” he said.

He added that interests, relevance and preferences vary by community; some areas may lean towards coding, others towards being auto technicians, yet others might prefer agriculture. That means schools need local flexibility rather than a one-size-fits-all curriculum. “Education is changing every five years, so there is a need to curate topics that are relevant today and upskill teachers to teach them properly since it may not always be possible to get new trainers. Principals hold that responsibility,” Jain emphasised.

iTeach runs 15 schools (Classes 8 to 10) in public-private partnership (PPP) mode in Pune and Navi Mumbai for over 6,000 children from low-income households.

Jain noted that secondary students already spend nearly 10 hours a day reading, writing and preparing for tests—a pace he calls unhealthy. “It’s not okay. They need to play, experiment and build things, and that’s where vocational subjects add an element of building or breaking things, offering the joy of creating something with your own hands,” said Jain.

As an example, in his schools, one of the projects in skilling is to create extension boards, and the joy students feel after making those is unparalleled. “Integrating skilling into education opens up opportunity, widens horizons and adds creativity, offering [students] more than just clearing academic exams,” he said.

FIXING THE ASPIRATION GAP

To make vocational education more appealing, Delhi is focusing on select schools with deeper employer engagement, said Patil. In these schools, internships are being actively promoted through partnerships with employers. Around 3,000 employers have tied up with schools so far, and 20,000 students from Classes 10 and 11 have completed internships. “If employers are tied up with schools, it becomes easier to convince parents to let their children pursue vocational subjects,” she said.

As AI and automation continue to reshape white-collar work, experts at the panel suggested that closing this aspiration gap is key in order to make vocational skills feel like a genuine career path rather than an alternative.

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“No student will say he or she wants to be an electrician or carpenter, and that’s also because the earnings growth path isn’t as visible in skilled trades as it is in white-collar jobs, which also offer job security, fixed working hours and insurance,” said Soumya Jain, founder and CEO of the non-profit iTeach Schools.

Jain was speaking during the panel discussion ‘NEP@Work: Secondary Education and Skilling’ at a social impact event organised recently by The/Nudge Foundation in New Delhi.

NEP 2020 has made mainstreaming vocational education a priority, introducing it as early as middle school to build interest in hands-on learning before students specialise. Under the policy, vocational courses are offered from Class 6, with Kaushal Bodh serving as the vocational education textbook for Grades 6 to 8, and Kaushal Vikas for skill education in Grade 9. Both have been developed in line with NEP 2020.

Vocational subjects in Maharashtra have 70 marks for practicals and 30 for theory in board exams. This, Jain said, gives a fair chance to all kinds of students to score well in exams.

DELHI TAKES THE LEAD

Government schools in Delhi are among those implementing this in a big way, said Pranjal Patil, state project director and additional director (vocational), Samagra Shiksha, Directorate of Education, government of NCT of Delhi. New labs are being set up and implementation is underway in around 1,000 Delhi government schools. The state is also retraining Maths and Science teachers to teach vocational skills, for instance, applying science concepts to gardening and healthcare, said Patil.

THE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL MATTERS

According to Jain, for vocational education to have real impact, the role of the school principal is critical. “They have to play the role of curator and coach to ensure that STEM, social learning, hobby clubs, etc., offer students the best possible experience,” he said.

He added that interests, relevance and preferences vary by community; some areas may lean towards coding, others towards being auto technicians, yet others might prefer agriculture. That means schools need local flexibility rather than a one-size-fits-all curriculum. “Education is changing every five years, so there is a need to curate topics that are relevant today and upskill teachers to teach them properly since it may not always be possible to get new trainers. Principals hold that responsibility,” Jain emphasised.

iTeach runs 15 schools (Classes 8 to 10) in public-private partnership (PPP) mode in Pune and Navi Mumbai for over 6,000 children from low-income households.

Jain noted that secondary students already spend nearly 10 hours a day reading, writing and preparing for tests—a pace he calls unhealthy. “It’s not okay. They need to play, experiment and build things, and that’s where vocational subjects add an element of building or breaking things, offering the joy of creating something with your own hands,” said Jain.

As an example, in his schools, one of the projects in skilling is to create extension boards, and the joy students feel after making those is unparalleled. “Integrating skilling into education opens up opportunity, widens horizons and adds creativity, offering [students] more than just clearing academic exams,” he said.

FIXING THE ASPIRATION GAP

To make vocational education more appealing, Delhi is focusing on select schools with deeper employer engagement, said Patil. In these schools, internships are being actively promoted through partnerships with employers. Around 3,000 employers have tied up with schools so far, and 20,000 students from Classes 10 and 11 have completed internships. “If employers are tied up with schools, it becomes easier to convince parents to let their children pursue vocational subjects,” she said.

As AI and automation continue to reshape white-collar work, experts at the panel suggested that closing this aspiration gap is key in order to make vocational skills feel like a genuine career path rather than an alternative.

Subscribe to India Today Magazine

“No student will say he or she wants to be an electrician or carpenter, and that’s also because the earnings growth path isn’t as visible in skilled trades as it is in white-collar jobs, which also offer job security, fixed working hours and insurance,” said Soumya Jain, founder and CEO of the non-profit iTeach Schools.

Jain was speaking during the panel discussion ‘NEP@Work: Secondary Education and Skilling’ at a social impact event organised recently by The/Nudge Foundation in New Delhi.

NEP 2020 has made mainstreaming vocational education a priority, introducing it as early as middle school to build interest in hands-on learning before students specialise. Under the policy, vocational courses are offered from Class 6, with Kaushal Bodh serving as the vocational education textbook for Grades 6 to 8, and Kaushal Vikas for skill education in Grade 9. Both have been developed in line with NEP 2020.

Vocational subjects in Maharashtra have 70 marks for practicals and 30 for theory in board exams. This, Jain said, gives a fair chance to all kinds of students to score well in exams.

DELHI TAKES THE LEAD

Government schools in Delhi are among those implementing this in a big way, said Pranjal Patil, state project director and additional director (vocational), Samagra Shiksha, Directorate of Education, government of NCT of Delhi. New labs are being set up and implementation is underway in around 1,000 Delhi government schools. The state is also retraining Maths and Science teachers to teach vocational skills, for instance, applying science concepts to gardening and healthcare, said Patil.

THE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL MATTERS

According to Jain, for vocational education to have real impact, the role of the school principal is critical. “They have to play the role of curator and coach to ensure that STEM, social learning, hobby clubs, etc., offer students the best possible experience,” he said.

He added that interests, relevance and preferences vary by community; some areas may lean towards coding, others towards being auto technicians, yet others might prefer agriculture. That means schools need local flexibility rather than a one-size-fits-all curriculum. “Education is changing every five years, so there is a need to curate topics that are relevant today and upskill teachers to teach them properly since it may not always be possible to get new trainers. Principals hold that responsibility,” Jain emphasised.

iTeach runs 15 schools (Classes 8 to 10) in public-private partnership (PPP) mode in Pune and Navi Mumbai for over 6,000 children from low-income households.

Jain noted that secondary students already spend nearly 10 hours a day reading, writing and preparing for tests—a pace he calls unhealthy. “It’s not okay. They need to play, experiment and build things, and that’s where vocational subjects add an element of building or breaking things, offering the joy of creating something with your own hands,” said Jain.

As an example, in his schools, one of the projects in skilling is to create extension boards, and the joy students feel after making those is unparalleled. “Integrating skilling into education opens up opportunity, widens horizons and adds creativity, offering [students] more than just clearing academic exams,” he said.

FIXING THE ASPIRATION GAP

To make vocational education more appealing, Delhi is focusing on select schools with deeper employer engagement, said Patil. In these schools, internships are being actively promoted through partnerships with employers. Around 3,000 employers have tied up with schools so far, and 20,000 students from Classes 10 and 11 have completed internships. “If employers are tied up with schools, it becomes easier to convince parents to let their children pursue vocational subjects,” she said.

As AI and automation continue to reshape white-collar work, experts at the panel suggested that closing this aspiration gap is key in order to make vocational skills feel like a genuine career path rather than an alternative.

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