Vocational courses in schools to go, teachers a worried lot

Sameer Singh
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, February 22

Members of Vocational Masters’ Union submitted a memorandum of demands to the district Education Department, demanding not to replace vocational courses with National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF).

In the memorandum, the union members stated that the state government had replaced vocational courses with NSDQ courses under a Union Ministry of Skill Development scheme.

Gurdeep Mann, general secretary of the union, said “There are more than 28 subjects/ trades that students of government senior secondary schools in the state have been studying for over 35 years. But after implementation of NSDQ scheme by the Union Ministry, the state has decided to discontinue vocational courses which had mandatory subjects and students, after completing their secondary education, were directly getting admissions in second year of degree courses provided by polytechnic colleges. Moreover vocational courses were job-oriented and discontinuing them will definitely affect the job prospects of youngsters, especially those from the rural belt of the state.”

“Vocational courses had given an opportunity to many youngsters to pursue job-oriented education right after their matriculation. With the decision to discontinue trades such as banking, marketing, rural informatics management, insurance, computers, tours and travels, office management, purchasing and sales management, horticulture and food preservation among others, the state government is deviating from its promise of ensuring maximum employment to the youth of the state. Moreover, subjects offered under NSDQ are optional,” he stated.

There are 22 government senior secondary schools in the district where 49 vocational teachers are employed.

“The government has decided to shift us to other government schools without vocational courses. If the decision gets implemented, then managing the affairs will be really difficult for vocational teachers, who have to start working from the scratch. We have submitted a memorandum of demands to Baljit Kumar, District Education Officer (secondary), who said that he will mark the letter to state head office for action in the matter,” Mann added.