Experts differ over focus on vocational edu in schools

New Delhi: The intent on promoting teaching in the mother tongue till middle school and the focus on early childhood education in the New Education Policy (NEP) are being seen as good steps for school education. However, there are differing views on the increased importance of vocational education at the school level.

NEP defines nursery-Class II as pre-primary education, Class III-V as primary, Class VI-VIII as middle school and classes IX-XII as secondary education. Anita Rampal, professor and former dean, faculty of education, Delhi University, said, “The policy has segregated classes I and II with the anganwadi education. This carries the danger of minimalising the two school years, with some institution possibly considering them merely as play years. Children aged five and six years can handle things in challenging ways, provided they are given resources.”

While Jyoti Arora, principal, Mount Abu Public School, Rohini, called NEP a progressive policy that gave proper guidelines on continuous and comprehensive evaluation, some experts were unsure about the push to vocational education. “The policy document wants school and college education to ultimately have 50% of students going into vocational education,” said Rampal, explaining that vocational education in India isn’t as creative and meaningful as in other countries. “Here, the vocational courses are designed by the industry and not by educationists,” she pointed out. “Clubbing these four years is like telling students that if they are not good at something, they can opt for vocational education.”

Other school principals, however, believe that vocational education is a step in the right direction. Ameeta Mulla Wattal of Springdales School, Pusa Road, declared, “The policy dignifies vocational education and provides opportunities to children. There are many professions children can take up.”

Wattal was also of the opinion that NEP would bring an end to rote learning and the obsession with marks. “As learning is going to be holistic and experiential, it will mean the closure of coaching institutes. Education will be based on inquiry and research. And children will be catered to in a personalised manner, thus helping develop scientific temper,” the Springdales principal said. “At present, there is a huge gap between what the industry wants and the kind of children who are emerging from our education system.”

While Ashok Pandey, director, Ahlcon Group of Schools, highlighted the fact that NEP talked not about acquiring degrees but of community building, he also said that since India was a signatory of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, the new education policy would help “to attain goal number four, which is quality education for all and lifelong learning”.

However, R Govinda, former vice-chancellor, National University for Educational Planning, thought NEP hadn’t bridged the disconnect between the system and the ground reality in India. He said, “Implementing the mother tongue and supporting early childhood education are good to listen to. But we have to see what has worked and what hasn’t. The most important thing we have to attain is learning for all children in school. This policy doesn’t say how they are going to bring about that change.”

Govinda said that setting up some organisation at the national level wouldn’t make a village schoolboy learn better. “There is a disconnect of some sort with ground reality. This is what bothers me,” he said. “We want structural reforms but when the existing system does not work, how can you change the structure? What is required is organisational strengthening.”

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