Sri Vijaya Puram, Sept. 22: Around 125 teachers from nine zones across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have begun a five-day capacity-building programme aimed at strengthening the implementation of vocational education at the middle stage in line with the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.
The programme, being held from September 21 to 25 at Sri Vijaya Puram, focuses on the implementation of “Vocational Education as per NCF-SE 2023 at the Middle Stage” along with domain-specific skill training in Travel and Tourism, Agriculture, and Beauty and Wellness.
Pandit Sunderlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education (PSSCIVE), NCERT, Bhopal, is organising the programme in collaboration with Samagra Shiksha under the Education Department of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration.
The training seeks to enhance teachers’ professional capacity to deliver vocational education effectively while equipping them with domain-specific skills relevant to the three identified areas.
At the inaugural session, Dr Deepak Paliwal, Joint Director, PSSCIVE, Bhopal, stressed the importance of incorporating the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) and the Pancha Kosha perspective into vocational education.
Sangeeta Chand, Principal, SCERT, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, called for the identification and introduction of additional vocational subjects that reflect locally relevant job roles in the Islands.
S Suresh Kumar, State Project Officer, Samagra Shiksha, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, highlighted the role of teachers in building awareness about vocational education, creating opportunities for skill-based learning and encouraging students to consider varied educational, employment and entrepreneurial pathways.
Prof Vinay Swarup Mehrotra, Head of the Curriculum Development and Evaluation Centre at PSSCIVE, NCERT, Bhopal, outlined school-level skill education initiatives introduced after the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. He also emphasised the need to prepare students and young people for a changing world of work.
Dr Vinod Kumar Yadav, Programme Coordinator, PSSCIVE, explained the institute’s roles and functions across different dimensions and verticals in accordance with NEP 2020 and NCF-SE 2023.
The programme brings together teachers from across the Islands for focused capacity building as the education system works towards implementing vocational education at the middle stage and expanding exposure to structured skill-based learning.
