National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has paved the way for the integration of schooling and skilling horizontal and vertical mobility through the National Credit Framework (NCrF) and redefining India’s skills ecosystem, Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Education and Skill Development, and Entrepreneurship said on Tuesday. Pradhan was speaking at the Third Education Working Group Meeting being held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
The Minister asked the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to come together to create a framework for mapping future skills. “Integration of vocational education into the school curriculum from grade six onwards under the National Education Policy 2020 will help to create a future-ready workforce that will take India to new heights,” he added.
Speaking on the sidelines of India and Singapore’s collaboration to integrate skill development at the school level, Pradhan said Singapore has successfully worked on skill development. “We plan to adopt their skilling model, at a scale suitable for our population, and create a holistic ecosystem,” he noted.
The Minister held discussions with delegates from Singapore to leverage the expertise and knowledge of both countries for mutual benefit in the education and skill sector, at the workshop ‘Skill Architecture and Governance Model of India and Singapore.’ The workshop deliberated upon three major aspects including the creation of a new curriculum for skill development, a framework for upskilling the ecosystem in higher education, and compulsory apprenticeship and framework for lifelong skilling.
India has hosted two G20 Education Working Group meetings in Chennai and Amritsar. The fourth meeting of the education group is scheduled to take place in Pune in June.
