NEW DELHI: Less than half of the schools in India currently offer skill-based courses to students in Class IX and above, pointing to the limited penetration of vocational education at the secondary and senior secondary levels. The participation of students in such courses is even lower. According to PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 conducted by NCERT’s National Assessment Centre, only 47% of schools offer skill-based courses for these classes, and just 29% of students in Class IX and above have opted for them.The findings underline significant gaps in awareness and accessibility that hamper efforts under the Skill India Mission, which seeks to equip students with market-ready skills and improve their employability. “Less than half of the schools offer skill-based courses for students in Grade 9 and above, indicating limited availability of skill-based education at this level. Among students in Grade 9, participation in these courses remains low, suggesting the need for greater awareness, encouragement, and accessibility to skill education to enhance career readiness and skill development,” the report observed.Skill education, it stressed, has become essential for preparing learners to adapt to changing workforce requirements in the 21st century. It called for introduction of diverse sector-specific courses, stronger industry linkages, and better funding and infrastructure support to expand these offerings in schools. To support skill development, resources such as those listed by PSSCIVE (Pandit Sunderlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education), an apex R&D organisation under NCERT, can be used to enhance training and boost employability. The report also recommended popularising initiatives like PARAKH Udyam Sansaar, which focuses on artificial intelligence (AI) competencies, to make skill-based learning more attractive.The PARAKH survey covered 74,229 schools – govt and private-across 781 districts in 36 states and Union territories, assessing over 2.1 million students from Classes III, VI, and IX. While many universities and colleges now integrate skill modules in programmes such as AI, robotics, cloud computing and telemedicine, lack of early exposure in schools continues to hinder students’ career readiness.The report emphasised that “strengthening industry partnerships and aligning courses with job market needs can enhance skill development and employability”. It suggested that motivating students to explore skill-based learning early, alongside use of innovative teaching and assessment methods, will be key to bridging the education-to-employment gap.
