Gujarat government’s essential education department asked the public authority and awarded in-help auxiliary and higher optional schools to select professional courses from this scholarly year to open understudies to pragmatic acquiring and ability-based preparation right off the bat throughout everyday life. The drive taken as a feature of the New Education Policy 2020 has gotten a tepid reaction from city schools, said authorities in the District Education Office (DEO) in Ahmedabad. From around 630 schools in Ahmedabad City and Rural, just 15 have approached to bring to the table professional instruction to understudies who took a crack at classes 9 to 12. Just two of these are from the city while 13 are from provincial Ahmedabad.
It was in August that the education department asked DEOs to seek interest from government and grant-in-aid schools to offer vocational education. As per NEP, there are around 67 courses offered under vocational education like carpentry, beauty and wellness, tailoring etc. These courses train students in skills that may help them earn a livelihood along with school education or in case they drop out. “The administration is in a tizzy after having received just two applications from city schools. Schools have been informed in written that at least five of them have to come forward to offer vocational education,” said an official in the city DEO.
The main challenge for the schools is the lack of infrastructure. The circular states schools need to at least one room and related infrastructure like a laboratory to start vocational courses. “Many grant-in-aid colleges have to set up the needed infrastructure to offer the courses to train students. These schools have sought time for the same and start vocational education from next year,” said another official.