13/08/2016

Skill development: Bihar still has a long way to go

 

Shams Alam Khan

 

Gone are the days when the purpose of education was to foster growth of mind and spirit and to attain values: honesty, humanity, wisdom and accountability towards society etc.  Today, when education is seen only as a tool for earning livelihood and a way of achieving prosperity; it is pertinent to assess the system vis-à-vis its worthiness in “Employability”. 

 Employability generally refers to an ability in terms of its propensity of obtaining employment. Apart from desired qualification, qualities and factors such as communication skill, interpersonal and analytical skills, problem solving ability, teamwork etc. are taken into consideration in measuring employability of a candidate.

Reeling under strained overall infrastructure and resources, Bihar’s performance in facilitating employability by its education and training is anything but satisfactory. As outlined in the India Youth Development Report 2010, on the scale of Educational Attainment––which is a measure of qualitative outcome of education––Bihar stands at the bottom in comparison with other states of India. According to estimates, only 20% of college graduates of the state are found to be employable.

However, notwithstanding this bleak commentary National Employability Report released recently by Aspiring Minds is a silver lining. According to it, engineering graduates from Bihar perform best in country jointly with Delhi and Jharkhand in Employability. Yet this exception alone can not veil the otherwise appalling state of affairs.

Inadequacy and stagnation are two major hindrances of education and training program of the state, affecting its outcome severely. These are signified by outdated syllabus, conventional teaching and testing methodology, obsolete courses and trades, inadequate and outdated practical equipment and tools, minimal industry exposure, insignificant academic-industry interaction and dearth of training program in emerging areas.

 The problem is further compounded by inadequate provision of training for school drop outs, unskilled workers and unemployed educated youth and skill upgradation for skilled and semi-skilled workers.
 Above mentioned report (IYDR 2010) further showed that less than seven per cent of youth of Bihar had undergone vocational training. Besides, according to the IndiaSpend (a data journalism initiative) analysis of census data last year, unemployment of young people from Bihar (15-29 age group) is higher at 17.5% than the national average of 13%.  

 Inclination of Bihari youth for higher education and preparation for government job could partly be a reason for higher unemployment in this age group. Yet early joining of these youths in workforce is imperative in efficiently utilising their energy. That vocational training is found to be more significant form of education supporting employability, expanding its facility and at the same time enhancing its quality would be crucial to cope up with the unemployment.  

Although recently Bihar government has, by launching skill development mission appreciated the significance of vocational and skill development in employability.  Earlier, it had introduced a new trade, ‘Information technology and electronics system maintenance’ in few selected ITIs. Nonetheless, comparing with top performing Indian states, above steps are just a beginning.

 Tuning with the time and demand, Bihar might emulate following models of policies with its flexibilities incorporated by some other states: Directorate of Technical education, Kerala conducts skill enhancement training for diploma and graduate engineers and managers. To stay relevant in today’s job market, regularly updating and upgrading skills are inevitable for professionals. Even for diploma and graduate engineers some additional skills are essential for entering into specific industry such as Auto CAD for engineering design, DCS/PLC for Automation etc.

 Directorate of Employment & Training, Gujarat government runs several short term (2-3 months) programs through 550 centers across the state. Main feature of the program is its centralised examination and flexible approach that allows those who already got the skill informally to take part in exam without going through the training. By clearing the exam they get formal certificate. Delhi State technical board conducts several short term courses of six months and more, where even a class 7th pass student can obtain training.

 Moreover, among hundreds of skill development and training programs run by various ministries of central government; several of these present prospect for Bihar to overcome its constraints substantially.

Rural Development and Self-Employment Training Institutes (RUDSETI) providing training to the rural youth for their skill upgradation and self-employment offers great hope for Bihar, as the state primarily being an agrarian economy. Information should be spread about the scheme to increase cover.

 Furthermore, technological advancement has opened new vista to enlarge the extent and reach. Online courses are one such avenue. Feasibility and method of incorporating MOOC’s (Massive Open Online Courses) in upgrading skills and employability should be deliberated.

Bihar also needs to set up more in industries in sectors like pharmaceuticals, hospitality, retail, tourism, agriculture, packaging, electronics, microelectronics, computer software and hardware etc.

Simultaneously, linking up vocational institutes with above mentioned industries to produce skilled manpower as per their requirement would eventually create spin off effect: along with meeting the demand of required skilled manpower for these industries, it will encourage others to start more ventures availing industry- ready workers.  

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