GUWAHATI, Aug 26 - The sphere of vocational education in the State is set for a major revamp with the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC) planning to introduce a number of vocational and technical courses at 10+2 level aimed at skill development and employment generation, including self employment.
The learning method will have online and computer-aided teaching facilities, including interactive sessions so that the best teaching learning resources reach the students, including the most disadvantaged. Efforts are also on to get the vocational courses covered under the Centrally-sponsored programme SWAYAM under the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.
�The objective behind this first-of-its-kind initiative in the State is to enhance the employability of our youths, with maximum thrust on self-employment. The burgeoning unemployment is a grave crisis now, with thousands of graduates and postgraduates unable to secure a job. The existing vocational education is almost defunct. We want to make a change and ensure that there is no wastage of human resources,� AHSEC chairman Dr Dayananda Borgohain told The Assam Tribune.
The initiative will enable students to pick up their preferred vocational course � based on their aptitude � after passing the HSLC examination.
�We have thousands of HSLC pass-outs with low marks, many of who are actually better-suited for vocational ventures. But as they have little option, they purposelessly go for conventional degree courses and end up adding to the number of the unemployed,� Dr Borgohain said.
The ambitious project will be collaborative in nature, for which the AHSEC has tied up with institutes like Assam Agricultural University and other institutes for imparting the necessary training and exposure to the students who would be pursuing the vocational and technical courses.
�We are selecting around 25 courses for the project. Skill development and self-employment generation are the thrust areas. We will be having collaborative arrangements with reputed institutes. We will also need more faculties and also training for the teachers,� he added.
Dr Borgohain revealed that induction of the courses under SWAYAM would ensure greater access, equity and quality for the learners. The courses hosted on SWAYAM will be in four quadrants � video lecture, specially-prepared reading material that can be downloaded/printed, self-assessment tests through tests and quizzes, and an online discussion forum for clearing the doubts.
�Our courses will have two bases � urban and rural � depending on the profession the student chooses. Some activities like agro-practices and fishery are more suited to rural areas because of the land requirements. Many youths in rural areas have land which often lies idle for lack of self-entrepreneurship,� he said.
