Parliament Question: Skill-Based and Vocational Education in School Curriculum

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. - 38 ANSWERED ON 02.02.2026 Skill-Based and Vocational Education in School Curriculum †*38. Smt. Sanjna Jatav: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) the details of steps taken by the Government to include skill-based and vocational education in the school curriculum in the country; (b) the manner in which the National Curriculum Frameworks alignment is being ensured with the vision of holistic education under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in the country; (c) the details of measures implemented by the Government to assist States in developing teaching resources in regional languages; (d) the impact of adopting mother tongue as the medium of instruction on the early childhood education outcomes; and (e) the mechanisms in place to monitor the implementation of these reforms in the States? ANSWER MINISTER OF EDUCATION (SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN) (a) to (e): A statement is laid on the Table of the House. *****STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (E) IN RESPECT OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 38 FOR REPLY ON 02.02.2026 ASKED BY SMT. SANJNA JATAV, HON’BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT REGARDING ‘SKILL-BASED AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN SCHOOL CURRICULUM’ (a): As envisioned in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Union Government has integrated skill/ vocational education into the school curriculum to foster employability, dignity of labour, and work-related capacities from foundational levels. The National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE), aligned with NEP 2020, institutionalizes skill education by integrating it directly into the middle and secondary stages to ensure parity with academic subjects. Adequate learning hours have been allocated for engaging the students with vocational crafts to build foundational skills and practical awareness and to develop grade appropriate skill competencies. In pursuance of NEP 2020, the Government has introduced the concept of 10 bagless days during Grades 6 to 8 to promote experiential learning through practical activities. A skill subject has been introduced in the Middle stage (Grades 6 to 8) to provide practical work experience through a project-based learning approach and ensure integration of skill education into the curriculum. In the middle stage, students engage in hands-on projects across three work forms - life forms, machines/materials, and human services - to build transferable skills like persistence and collaboration, without specializing. As a follow up to the NCF-SE, Ministry of Education through NCERT has developed textbooks for skill education (Kaushal Bodh) for classes VI to VIII. Schools are promoting local knowledge and practical skills through “Lok Vidya” by exposing learners to the practical as well as theoretical aspects related to art, handicrafts, natural farming, tourism, etc. At the secondary level (grades 9 to 12), the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has developed curriculum and textbooks for employability skills, which are embedded across all skill courses. The skill curricula and textbooks developed by NCERT are based on the job roles in various sectors, under the National Skill Qualifications Framework (NSQF), which is a quality assurance framework. The Union Government provides financial assistance for the implementation of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha. Skill/Vocational Education is one of the components under Samagra Shiksha scheme, under which financial assistance is provided to States/UTs for giving exposure to Skill Education to students of Grades 6 to 8 and introduction of Skill courses from Grades 9 to 12, which are aligned with the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF). At the Secondary level i.e., Grade 9 and 10, skill modules are offered to the students as an additional subject. At Sr. Secondary level, i.e., Grade 11 and 12, skill courses are offered as a compulsory (elective) subject. So far, 138 Job Roles (JRs) / Skill subjects have been approved to be offered to class 9 to class 12 school students.Regular teacher training programmes for skill teachers/trainers are being organized to enhance their practical teaching and training skills in their domain. They also gain industry experience and exposure to the latest technologies and practices. Digital resources for skill-based education have been created for combining online theoretical learning with offline practical sessions to ensure comprehensive skill-based education through the integration of general education with skill education. The NCERT has developed e-learning materials, videos, and virtual skill labs (VSLs) to expand access to skill education, especially where physical resources are limited, ensuring that all students can develop practical, job-ready skills alongside academic learning. Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) offers 22 skill subjects in classes 9-10 and 43 in classes 11-12 to upgrade the skills and proficiency of the young generation and explore the various career options available. (b): The NCF-SE 2023 translates the vision of the NEP 2020 by providing stage specific, subject specific and learner development related guidelines in terms of content, resources, pedagogical understanding and guidelines, school based and systems-based requirements, assessment mechanisms and so on. The detailed document of NCF-SE provides goals, curricular competencies and learning outcomes, time allocation, teacher competencies and requirement, etc. for realising the vision of the NEP. The NCF-SE 2023 emphasises the development of cognitive, emotional, social, ethical, and physical capacities of learners and this is being achieved through the integration of arts, sciences, languages, sports, value education, and skill education without rigid disciplinary boundaries. Integration of skill education with the general education promotes critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, life skills, and experiential learning, thus ensuring holistic development of children. This integration is aimed at equipping students with practical knowledge of agriculture through project-based learning, both in rural and urban areas. Students will learn about what people do in various vocations in rural and urban areas and will be exposed to future career prospects, thereby promoting local empowerment through education. The NCF emphasises holistic assessment systems (e.g., progress reports focusing on reporting holistic achievements assessment of the children, rather than purely depending on marks through paper and pencil tests or exams). These reforms are guided by NCF and aligned with NEP’s vision of capturing multiple dimensions of learner’s growth. (c) & (d): National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 promotes all Indian languages in school education through multi-pronged strategies by developing textbooks and materials, teacher development programmes and working with states and school systems at the national and state levels. The Government is assisting States in developing textbooks through NCERT in all 22 scheduled Indian languages and English, and making them available at https://ncert.nic.in/textbook.php . NCERT is also working closely with State agencies for development of language and content textbooks in State languages, along with primers andmultilingual foundational-stage resources such as Jaadui Pitara, both in physical and digital forms. To promote multilingualism, nationwide initiatives such as Bhasha Sangam, Bhartiya Bhasha Utsav, and Bhartiya Bhasha Summer Camps are being implemented in schools. Teacher capacity is being strengthened through large-scale training under National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers for Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA), including modules on multilingual and mother tongue-based pedagogy. Further, in line with NEP 2020, adoption of the mother tongue/home language as the medium of instruction at the Foundational and Preparatory Stages, CBSE has issued circular to all CBSE- affiliated schools vide which the medium of instruction at the Foundational and Preparatory stages must be the child’s home language, mother tongue or a familiar regional language. CBSE has also directed that the learning outcomes expected at this stage are predominantly oral and experiential. The language here includes formal reading, writing and begins with the recognition of letters and basic word formation. The NEP in its para 4.12 clearly states that as research clearly shows that children pick up languages extremely quickly between the ages of 2 and 8 and that multilingualism has great cognitive benefits to young students, children will be exposed to different languages early on (but with a particular emphasis on the mother tongue), starting from the Foundational Stage onwards. (e): Education is in the Concurrent list of the Constitution and State Governments/UT Administrations have established monitoring mechanism. As far as Centrally Sponsored Schemes Samagra Shiksha and Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) are concerned, these are in alignment with NEP 2020. The States/UTs prepare annual plans as per their requirements/ priority, and the same is reflected in their respective Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWP&B) proposals, as per norms of Samagra Shiksha scheme. These plans are then appraised and approved by the Project Approval Board (PAB) in the Department of School Education & Literacy in consultation with the States and UTs as per the programmatic and financial norms of the scheme and physical and financial progress of the States/UTs for the interventions approved earlier. This Department has PRABANDH (Project Appraisal, Budgeting Achievements and Data Handling) System. One of the important features of the PRABANDH System is the updation of Expenditure incurred under the different interventions of the Samagra Shiksha. Regular interactions between Centre and State/UT Government are held for sharing of vital information and resolution of any persistent issues. As such periodic discussions/review meetings are scheduled to monitor the physical and financial review of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha. In addition, a mid-term review is also undertaken with the States/UTs to monitor the progress of implementation of the scheme. *****