A letter written by Dr. Padmalochan Dash, Convener and Mr. Biplab Swain, Co-Convener, have suggested certain important measures for the up-gradation and structural reform of junior vocational colleges those are about 231 numbers in the state of Odisha at present that in the backdrop of the “Re-imagining Vocational Education Part II (16) of New Education Policy 2020”.
The Forum for Transforming Initiatives-Odisha, a prospective think-tank by Odia igniting-minds, has written to Union Education, Skill Development, Entrepreneurship Minister Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan requesting for “Converting all junior vocational colleges (JVCs) in Odisha into efficient skill-augmentation centers as per guidelines laid down in the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020”.
While transformation into vocational-education ought to happen all over the country; the plight of vocational colleges in Odisha and in the country at large should not be left unaddressed and kept off the purview of such a phenomenal determination,” the letter said.
India has been set to play a very crucial role by comprehensively catering to the global pool of skilled-man force. As a response to the first changing global economic order that taking place at the India’s direction, the vibrant-emerging India has been gearing up to play the central role. To fill this vacuum, we have to make drastic changes in the objectives, function and impart of vocational-education while bringing structural overhaul at their very respective set-ups, said the proposal.
“As the objective of NEP 2020 is aimed at transforming India into global a skilled-manpower-hub as well as enabling India to play the pivotal role in the emerging new global-economic-order, drastic reformation of educational institutions are sine-qua-non at this juncture”, said the memorandum.
It expected by the forum that, the JVCs in the State-with necessary reformation at their administrative, affiliation and institutional levels -in tune to the NEP 2020 will contribute to the objectives of the Skill India programme.
While writing about reformation in the sectors, one among those are the vocational education institutions in Odisha as well as in the nation on which, the forum suggests the following reformation at their administrative, affiliation and institutional levels. “We are confident that such an attempt will make the vocational education institutions more viable to achieve its objectives in tune to the NEP 2020 (PART II of NEP 2020 document)”, mentions the memorandum.
Why the JVCs in the country require transformation?
The junior vocational colleges (JVCs) in Odisha have been created with the aim of providing easy and affordable access for rural youths catering to technical and professional educations offered at their door-step. As of now, there are about 231 numbers of junior vocational colleges functional in the State out of which 171 numbers is at non-tribal areas and 60 numbers is at the tribal areas.
For rural youths, JVCs remaining the gateway – providing technical and professional educations offered at their door-step; while, twenty subjects are in offer, the more subjects/trades are needed to be introduced.
There are about twenty vocational subjects like: Textile Designing (TD), Tourism and Travel Technique (TTT), Creche and Pre-School Management (CPM), Catering & Restaurant Management (CRM), Accountancy & Auditing (AA), Insurance (INS), Office Management (OM), Tax Assistant (TA), Audio Visual Technician (AVT), Building Maintenance (BM), Computer Technique (CT), Repair & Maintenance of Electrical Domestic Appliance (EDA), Repair & Maintenance of Power Driven Farm Machinery (PDFM), Medical & Laboratory Technician (MLT) Poultry Farming (PF), Horticulture (HORT), Seri Culture (SERI), Inland Fisheries (IF), and Crop–Production (CP), which are taught under vocational scheme.
It is to note that, the vocational pass-out have the privilege to pursue further studies in either vocational or general studies of their choice,” the letter said.
The objectives & importance of JVCs are yet to be known
The objectives & importance of JVCs are yet to be known, & their prospectus of employability yet to attract the common aspiring youths. This requires overhauling their qualitative and quantitative appearance. At present, there is an independent Directorate to manage and oversee the vocational education over the state, but the objectives, importance and prospectus of vocational education and their employability yet to attract the common aspiring youths, to enroll themselves into the vocational streams and to avail affordable skill education at their doorstep.
The forum is of the opinion that, the state government has nearly failed in the objectives of bringing Vocationalisation and skill-upgradation to the rural youths as was desired. While, the skill development mission has emerged important for all-round transformation of rural India and Odisha as well, the forum demands before Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship at Centre to take the onus upon it and transform the vocational education institutions in the state by overhauling their qualitative and quantitative appearance.
The forum also demands that, the JVCs are freed from the administrative control of ‘Directorate of Vocational Education’ & Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) and form a separate body managed on partnership-mode in collaboration with the state government. It is to mention that, the Directorate of Vocational Education controls the administrative responsibility while the curricula and examination is controlled by the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) Odisha; but, the forum feels such an arrangement to be unproductive and infamous, and therefore, has written to the Central government to distinct the vocational education from the administrative control of the above bodies and to form a separate body managed on partnership mode in collaboration with the state government.
For the better management of vocational education in Odisha, the forum is also suggesting for the constitution of a “Vocational Education Management Council” under the direct purview of the Skill Development Ministry. It is desired, by the forum that, JVCs are transformed into “centrally-managed skill-augmentation institutions” and are expanded into each block.
The forum desires that, the ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship should adopt those as the part of their mission of skill-upgradation, thus can take-over the vocational institutions, set up them as the centrally managed skill-augmentation institutions and expand them into each block, it added.
“We are of the strong opinion that, there should be a “Vocational Education Management Council” under the direct purview of the Skill Development Ministry at the apex headed by a senior-level professor deputed by the Centre. Similarly, we would suggest that the stand-alone vocational institutions should be administered and headed by the professionals with specific expertise and industrial exposure in the specific subjects-which are taught in that standalone vocational college/institution, said the memorandum.
The forum also asks serious question on way the fellowship and apprenticeship is managed. Though there is a provision of scholarship for each pass-out student while undergoing apprenticeship, but it is not clear whether such a facility is actually availed by the pass-outs. Moreover, it is learnt that the receivable stipend at rate of Rs. 1440/- per month, where 50% of the amount is borne by Government of India through Board of Practical Training (BOPT), Kolkata, people in Odisha are apprehensive that whether such a provision is practically being worked out and reaching to the beneficiaries. It is therefore, “becoming necessary that the government should look into the matter in prerogative and bring a structural overhaul into the entire system with the compulsory introduction of direct benefit transfer (DBT)”, demands the forum.
While there is a provision of apprenticeship for each pass-out students with-compulsory scholarship, the forum suggests that, the ministry of Skill Development under the Central government should identify, recognize and empanel and notify the specific trades-related Firms/Organisations/Enterprises where the passed out student would undergo such apprenticeship. “There is need of reform into the provision of apprenticeship, scholarship and, the introduction of direct benefit transfer (DBT),” the memorandum mentions.
In the light of the objectives of NEP, and with a desire of underlining some of the suggestions empowering our youth-force ready for the mission to achieve the objectives of NEP, the forum petitions, that, the Ministry of Education along with the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship would consider to adopt their requested proposal as the part of the mission of skill-development, thus transforming rural Odisha into skilled-manpower hub.
Also, keeping in attention the already existing infrastructure, it seems quite viable that the Ministry of skill Development can take-over the vocational institutions and set-up them as the “centrally managed skill augmentation institutions” with their extension in each block”, the forum expects.