With an idea to instil skills into children from the early years of the education stage, the Odisha state government is now determined that elementary schools will now comprise pre- vocation training.
This is scheduled to start in January when the schools and Mass Education department will conduct it for VI to VIII standard students to train them in various trades.
A module has been curated by the Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA) that mentions that students will be treated with 10 days of bagless activities, where they will be provided with lectures, hands-on training, and industry visits. The module is planned to be launched under Samagra Shiksha- which is centrally supported and strengthens teaching- learning and results for states programme (STARS), a World Bank-funded programme.
While 100 schools from every district have been chosen under Samagra Shiksha to implement pre vocational education, 600 schools have been chosen under the WBB-STARS initiative. The programme covers eleven trades, including agriculture, food processing, hospitality and tourism, plumbing, electronics and hardware, information technology, clothing, wellness and beauty. Additionally, the kids will receive instruction in the local arts and crafts of each area.
The goal of beginning pre-vocational education among students in classes VI through VIII, according to OSEPA Director Anupam Saha, is to encourage them toward vocational courses so that by the time they reach class IX, they can select which vocational trade they want to pursue in their higher grades.
Vocational courses are currently offered as a required (elective) subject in government schools to students in grades IX to XII under Samagra Shiksha. The government has allocated Rs. 10 lakh under the Samagra Shiksha programme for pre-vocational training, and Rs. 84 lakh under the WB-STARS programme for all districts. The National Education Policy-2022 will be in line with how schools are run going forward.
