Will vocational education address unemployment issues in Nagaland?

Morung Express News
Kohima | July 27

In alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, schools in Nagaland are introducing vocational education to equip students with practical skills and improve their employment prospects. 

With a focus on sectors such as beauty & wellness, hospitality & tourism, automotive, health care etc, the initiative aims to ensure that students are equipped not only with academic knowledge, but also with industry-recognised certifications.

It may be noted that under NEP 2020, the Ministry of Education has introduced vocationalisation in schools to address the high rate of unemployment among graduates. By integrating vocational subjects into the curriculum, the aim is to provide students with the specific skills needed for employment.

Speaking to The Morung Express, Dr. Chumbeni Kikon, Joint Mission Director, Samagra Shiksha viewed that considering the rate of unemployment in the country, many of the students even if they are doing well academically, they are unemployed. 

She said the Ministry of Education under the NEP 2020 has specifically given opportunities for the students, and when they finish schooling, they will also have the specific skills for employment.

138 government schools covered
Currently, Nagaland under Samagra Shiksha offers vocational education from Level 1 to Level 4 for Classes IX to XII which covers 10 trades—namely beauty & wellness, automotive, retail, tourism & hospitality, health care, multi skill, plumbing, agriculture, electronics and IT, Dr. Kikon informed.

She informed that to date, 138 government high schools and higher secondary schools in Nagaland have implemented vocational education with an additional 33 schools being approved by the Ministry for the next academic year.

Dr. Kikon said it initially started, with five schools piloting the programme in 2007-08 and a phase-wise expansion since 2014.
Asked of any success stories, she admitted “we have not been keeping proper track of our students” however, said that since the last two years, there has been a concerted effort to track student progress and compile success stories. 

She also claimed that many of the students have found employment in various sectors, particularly tourism, adding “these are simple step, and we are expecting that this vocational education will really benefit our students in terms of employability.”

“This initiative, supported by Samagra Shiksha, we are on a mission mode to significantly improve the employability of students over time” Dr. Kikon asserted.

Five Vocations Trainer Partners (VTPs) engaged
Five VTPs, she said are engaged as partners for the implementation of the vocational skills in the schools, who are under the payroll of the Vocational Training Providers (VTPs).

“Anyone cannot be a trainer, they must have the requisite skills and qualifications” said Dr. Kikon further adding that VTPs are selected through rigorous screening process in collaboration with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).

NSQF Certificate to enhance employment
Initially when the course was introduced, Dr. Kikon said they were challenges with more sensitisation and awareness needed. Overtime, she said, parents have become aware of the importance of the course, and also of the success stories. ‘Now, they are doing very well” she said. 

Dr. Kikon further informed that the curriculum includes a mandatory 80-hour internship, allowing the students to apply their classroom learning in real-world settings, wherein vocational trainers map the employers for these internships and help students gain practical experience.

“By the time students complete their schooling, they will undergo an additional assessment by the Sector Skill Council and receive an NSQF (National Skills Qualifications Framework) Certificate that will help them to get employment” informed Dr Kikon. 

The Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE) has taken significant steps by offering vocational subjects as a sixth subject in Class IX, and as elective subjects in Classes XI and XII.

‘Learning to be confident’ 
Speaking to The Morung Express, Advisor for School Education & SCERT, Dr Kekhrielhoulie Yhome viewed that Nagas are all born with minimum trilingual skills with good command over English, but as a young society, is vulnerable yet resilient with adaptability.

The Department of School Education, he said is ‘hopefully’ looking forward to creating opportunities for ‘our’ youngsters by aligning internationally applicable accreditation systems that will cater to global market demands. However, he added that “the slice of opportunities is too small for us to make public policies at our own local levels.”

Enquired on the department’s plan to align with the skills required in the job market, Dr Yhome said it is at the preliminary stage to study systems, competencies and convergences.

Hence, he said, “we are modelling Australia as a base model for enhancing the scope of our State strategy. We will conduct field study on how the private sector collaborates with the Government in Australia in creating job opportunities.”

He also revealed that a process of institutionalising entrepreneurial and financial literacy at our Higher Secondary and Colleges are currently mooted. 

The Advisor informed that he and the Minister for Higher Education, Temjen Imna Along is currently at New Delhi meeting with experts to replicate boot camps and curriculum development in ‘our’ education system. “Learning to be confident to stand on our own is perhaps our first big step” he stated.