Ministerial meet on vocational education damp squib

Updated on: Thursday, December 16, 2010

A meeting called today by the HRD Ministry on developing a national vocational education curriculum framework turned out to be a damp squib as only a handful of state education ministers attending it.

The Ministry has therefore decided to reconvene the meet in January next year.

Sources said only states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Harayana and Kerala attended the meet the aim of which was to draw a broader contour on developing a core curriculum in the country on vocational education.

Sources said HRD Minister Kapil Sibal was of the view that the curriculum development should come from states in keeping with the local needs, with the HRD Ministry coordinating in the endeavour.

He felt that there was also a need to promote the rich heritage and dying crafts of the country.

But with little headway achieved today, the Ministry has decided to hold the meeting again in January next year, they said.

The Ministry had, however, successfully organised a meet with the automobile sector last week to develop a curriculum for vocational training for automotive sector.

It decided to form a core group to plan the programmes and give its recommendations to the HRD Ministry within three months.

Sibal had said once the formalities are complete, the vocational course will be introduced for students from class nine to class 12 and even in polytechnics and colleges.

He said as of now this would be introduced in CBSE-affiliated schools and with the participation of state governments in order to decentralise the process.

Ministerial meet on vocational education damp squib

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