Problems Related to Rural Education : Solutions / Steps that should be taken :

Mid Day Meal Scheme is the main attraction for rural students so steps should be taken for efficient management of MDMS. (Incidents like the one in Chapra Bihar where MDMS food poisoning was the cause of death of 23 children will only deter the children going to school)

Content of teacher education should be aligned with National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education (NCFTE, 2009). Centrally funded Kendriya Vidyalayas may be expanded to rural areas or maybe used as hubs in promoting science or conducting seminars etc. SHGs (Self Help Groups) should be urged to insist the importance of education. Civil society and NGOs can be used to keep vigil on the government departments. CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) is now mandatory, so companies may be advised to channel their CSR allocation towards Rural Education. Vocational Education should be promoted to enhance education options of rural youths.Vocational Education: Vocational education can enhance the productivity of the rural population and can thus ensure utilization of the demographic dividend of the country. To boost Vocational Education a three tier institutional structure was put in place during the 11th plan :

A. PMs national council for skill Development : for Policy directions

B. National Skill Development Coordination Board : for coordinating skill efforts across state and central ministries

C. NSDC National Skill Development Corporation : for giving support to skill efforts

In the 12th Plan A and B were merged in NSDA National Skill Development Agency for coordination and fulfillment of goals

But Vocational Education is not recognized as Education as there are no certificate courses for skills like Weaving, Masonry, Craftsmanship, etc . so it has the demerits of ending up at a certain level as further education cannot be acquired. Accordingly a National Vocational Education Qualification Framework (NVEQF) was established as a response to this concern. National Vocational Education Qualification Framework (NVEQF) :-

National Vocational Education Qualification Framework (NVEQF) :

Initiative of Government of India to combine Vocational education (Skill based Education) with general (Mainstream) education.

It will give recognition to Prior learning acquired through family or tradition which is generally not recognized in formal education structure.

Advantages:

Students will have choice between mainstream education and Skill based Education.

Students will have flexibility to change to Industry(skill based) Education or Mainstream Education which will give them a choice to pursue higher education. (Both Horizontal and Vertical Mobility will be possible )Community Colleges : Colleges that will provide skill based education based on the needs of the community and preferably through community language. Local Community and nearby industry will be engaged for preparation of Structure of Course, Course Contents, training etc.Advantages: Local Community will have their voice so they can bring forward their needs. Act as a catalyst in preserving, enhancing and transferring traditional skills and knowledge. For Example : Khati community of Rajasthan has rich knowledge of carpentry and Maniyari Community has a tradition of preparing bangles.

Sector Skill Council (SSC) : It will support existing structure of vocational education in sectors like Agriculture, Construction, Leather, etc by conducting research to find traditional skills and to enhance the present skills by scientific application.

National Occupational Standards (NOS) :

They are Benchmarks of ideal practices in different job roles in industry. For each industry a set of NOS will be available for a particular job. Thus they will act as an evaluation criteria to decide if the skills possessed by an individual are in accordance to the industry requirements or not.Other Programmes :

Craftsmen Training Scheme ( CTS ) : Providing skill training to school dropouts for making them employable in industries. National Rural Livelihood Mission ( NRLM ) / Aajeevika : To train youth and make them employable by Expanding existing job options, building skills for new jobs & to nurture self employment Rural Self Employment Training Institutes ( RSETIs ) : managed and run by Banks, these institutes provide rural BPL youth with training to make them capable of self employment Support to Training and Employment Programme ( STEP ) : Training and upgradation of skills programme for Women Entrepreneurial Skill Development Programme ( ESDP ) : Specific tailor made skill development programme for enhancing abilities of prospective entrepreneurs. Parvaaz : Comprehensive skills and Education programme for rural BPL Minority. Roshni : Scheme for critical left wing extremism affected districts youth to give them training to meet their needs for job procurement. Hunar Se Rozgar Scheme ( HSRS ) : Implemented and sponsored by ministry of tourism to bridge skill gaps in hospitality sector by providing economically weaker section youths various courses conducted by Institutes of Hotel management and Food Crafts institute.1. References : Kurukshetra, September 2013 ( Rural Education and sustainable development ) Yojana, September 2013( Education for All )

2. Personal Details :

Name : Kartikey Jani