Pottery, organic farming: Delhi govt plans vocational training for middle-school students
Hands-on training in pottery, organic farming, basic carpentry, bicycle repair, traditional food preparation, and hand weaving, among others — the Delhi Education Department has set out elaborate guidelines to introduce pre-vocational education among middle school students (Class VI to VIII) in Delhi's schools this year.
An activity Book of vocational education, titled 'Kaushal Bodh', was first introduced last year in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.
A recent circular by the Department of Education, for the first time, has recommended an implementation strategy.
Pre-vocational subjects will be introduced in a phased manner, as books will be released offline for classes 7 and 8 by the NCERT.
Three categories of work under NCF-SE 2023:
– 'Work with Life Forms', wherein projects related to plants and animals are included.
– 'Work with Machines and Materials' is related to fabrics and wood, among others.
– 'Work in Human Services' involves 'interaction with people' in the healthcare, food sectors, community service, among others.
In each grade, students have to complete one project from each form of work in the academic year. The total time allotted for pre-vocational education is 110 hours, and the highest weightage (30% each) is for assessment through viva voce and activity book.
Under the implementation strategy, the circular stated that 'existing subject teachers shall be trained for Kaushal Bodh sessions for facilitating different activities in classes 6 to 8'.
Roles and responsibilities of school heads and regular teachers have been laid down:
For school heads
– Support the integration of vocational education as a distinct subject
– Provide necessary resources, tools for project execution
For regular teachers
– Enable students to use available resources effectively
– Adhere to safety protocol while making students understand material preparation, tools used
– Encourage students to apply 'work in school' in real-life situations
The department has announced the organisation of a 'Kaushal Mela' at the school level, which may be clubbed with other school activities for better participation. Under such a programme, showcasing projects made by students, live demonstrations, among others, have been recommended. Funds for the projects recommended under the 'Kaushal Bodh' textbook will be utilised from those allocated for pre-vocational activities/SMC, it said.
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