UNESCO Education Report India 2020: improvements in last decade

This goal has become harder with the COVID-19 pandemic: over 320 million learners have been affected and more than 5 million young people are likely to have lost their jobs during 2020. Proactive measures need to be taken to resolve this situation and education can play a vital role in bridging this gap.

With the largest population of youth in the world, India faces a huge and difficult task in educating every citizen to become a productive member of society. This goal has become harder with the COVID-19 pandemic: over 320 million learners have been affected and more than 5 million young people are likely to have lost their jobs during 2020. Proactive measures need to be taken to resolve this situation and education can play a vital role in bridging this gap.

India’s Right to Education Act guarantees free and compulsory education for the ages of 6-14 years, and it is quite naturally based on books and written examinations. However, evidence shows that many people develop 21st-century skills on the job, or from courses that focus on the practical application of skills. This indicates clearly that vocational education can be a route for many to gain specific skill sets and knowledge which they can directly apply in their jobs. Such education formats are referred to as Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

In India, the skills development ecosystem has undergone rapid changes and improvements over the last decade. The first National Skill Development Policy was launched in 2009 and was revamped in 2015, recognizing the challenge of skilling with speed and high standards.  The Skill India Mission was launched soon thereafter and Prime Minister Modi announced his vision for making India the Skill Capital of the world.

In the 5 years since India has laid a foundation for delivering on this vision of making quality skills development programs available to youth but also faced various challenges. UNESCO’s State of the Education Report for India 2020, published this week, focuses this year on vocational education and training and showcases the growth of the skills development sector, along with emerging challenges. It also provides practical recommendations to ensure that policy is translated into efficient and effective implementation.

One of the biggest challenges for expanding the reach of TVET-related courses in India has been the lack of aspiration and stigma attached to jobs such as carpentry, tailoring, plumbing, etc.  Considerable effort, including public information campaigns involving youth role models, would go a long way in improving the image of vocational education. At the same time, some common myths around TVET need to be debunked. Research is now proving that TVET graduates for entry-level jobs can get paid as much as university graduates, and for some jobs can even surpass them. Moreover, students from vocational streams typically take less time to find jobs as compared to university graduates.

The UNESCO State of the Education Report for India 2020 emphasizes the need for expanding evidence-based research as one of its key recommendations. High-quality research based on careful data-gathering and analytics can add value to all aspects of TVET planning and delivery but is especially useful for creating evidence behind the value of vocational education. For instance, proving the business case of apprenticeship to employers can push them to hire more apprentices. Considering that many employers are unable to find skilled candidates for jobs, promoting skills development, and hiring skilled workers can make the economy stronger.

The new National Education Policy, announced in July this year, included the ambitious target that 50% of all learners should receive vocational education by 2025. Schools are encouraged to provide students access to vocational education from Grade 6 onwards and to offer courses that are aligned to the local economies and can benefit local communities.

Such a massive expansion in vocational education will be possible only if the existing skills development systems are leveraged effectively. Hence, for the vision of the National Education Policy to be fulfilled, a robust coordination mechanism for inter-ministerial cooperation will be necessary for bringing the skills development and vocational education systems together.

This will not be an easy task but UNESCO, through its policy instruments, is committed to supporting the Government of India in capitalizing on the country’s demographic dividend. In these difficult times, TVET is certainly a key tool to help get the economy, and people’s lives, back on track.