Uttarakhand’s vocational push, with its emphasis on hands-on learning, could serve as a counterbalance by promoting offline skills and real-world engagement, helping mitigate these risks while preparing students for a digital-yet-balanced future.
In a significant move to align education with employability, the Uttarakhand government has announced the introduction of vocational courses in 544 additional schools across the state, under the Samagra Shiksha and PM-SHRI schemes. This expansion aims to equip students with practical skills alongside traditional academics, fostering self-reliance among the youth.
The initiative, designed in consultation with the union government, will integrate vocational education into the curriculum starting from the current academic session. Eight key sectors have been identified: Agriculture, Automotive, Beauty and Wellness, Electronics and Hardware, IT, Plumbing, Retail, and Tourism and Hospitality. These courses will be taught as part of the Uttarakhand Board and CBSE syllabi, with students earning Level-3 and Level-4 competency certificates under the national skill qualification framework (NSQF) upon completing Classes 10 and 12, respectively.
To support this rollout, 548 laboratories have been established in line with standards set by the Pandit Sundarlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education (PSSCIVE), and qualified trainers are being deployed. Proposals for operationalizing the courses have been submitted, with tenders expected soon after government orders. School education minister Dr. Dhan Singh Rawat emphasised the state’s goal: “The state government’s objective is to provide vocational education to children of the state along with traditional subjects, so that the younger generation can be made self-reliant.”
Currently, vocational programs are already running in 531 schools, benefiting 50,903 students (including 27,561 girls and 23,342 boys). An additional 28 hub-and-spoke model schools serve 973 students. The expansion builds on recent successes, such as a state-level job fair where 146 students from the first Class 12 vocational batch secured employment offers from various companies. Newly approved sectors like aerospace and aviation, and food industry, have also been added to the Uttarakhand board curriculum.
Alignment with National Education Policy and Economic Survey Recommendations
This state-level push resonates with the national education policy (NEP) 2020, which advocates for blending vocational training with mainstream education from Class VI onward. The recent economic survey further endorses this approach, recommending the integration of vocational education in schools to include practical exposure and industry visits, thereby enhancing career awareness and reducing dropout rates.
The survey highlights the urgent need to address India’s skilling gap, noting that nearly 2 crore adolescents aged 14-18 are out of school, with 44 per cent dropping out to supplement household income and over 55 per cent of girls leaving due to domestic responsibilities. It stresses that skill-based education is crucial for at-risk youth, aligning school curricula with national priorities to build a productive workforce, particularly in the service sector where over half of formally trained youth find jobs. However, it points out that only 0.97 per cent of 14-18-year-olds receive institutional skilling, underscoring the importance of initiatives like Uttarakhand’s expansion.
Tackling Digital Addiction Risks in Modern Education
Amid the focus on skill development, the economic survey also flags emerging challenges in the education landscape, such as digital addiction from smartphones, internet, gaming, and social media – addictive behaviour that can lead to distress, reduced academic performance, workplace distractions, sleep debt, and eroded social skills. It is strongly linked to mental health issues like anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and cyberbullying, particularly among 15-24-year-olds, as evidenced by Indian and global studies.
Uttarakhand’s vocational push, with its emphasis on hands-on learning, could serve as a counterbalance by promoting offline skills and real-world engagement, helping mitigate these risks while preparing students for a digital-yet-balanced future.
