Want to progress? Don't stop learning

Hyderabad: Want to progress? Don't stop learning was the message that was given by the eminent panellists who participated on day one of the Conference on New Education Policy organised by The Hans India on Saturday.

They stressed on the need to have experiential learning equipped with skills, which they said would expose the students to different kinds of work atmospheres. One full session was dedicated to 'Implementation of Vocational Training, Skill set training and entrepreneurship'. Head of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) Sobins Kuriakose said "Zindagi mein aage Badhna hai tho learning should become a continuous process throughout your life".

He said so far in vocational courses a diploma from ITI was the end of it. One could not move to another field. Now, with the new Education policy, the students would get a choice to select the subject which they get from their school life. The students of 6th to 8th would be exposed to different kinds of work atmosphere.

"You can learn a course of your choice from anywhere across the globe. Sobins said these days' engineers come out with degrees but they cannot operate a machine because the education system makes students to resort to the practice of cut and paste. He asked the students to assess themselves by writing an aptitude test by logging into https://eskillindia.org. He said many courses were available online free of cost. One has to browse through the website of NSDC or TASK.

Organisational strategist and author K Krishna Saagar Rao, who was chairing the panel, said that the NEP was an essential reform. He said that it was essential to maintain balance between machine skills and human skills. The NEP addresses the issue of transforming degree holders to professionals. Chief Executive Director Pallavi Krishna said that the NEP was announced at the right time. She stressed on the need to have experiential learning.

Woxsen University School of Architecture and Planning Prof Abhijit Shirodkar said that most of their students undergo a six months professional training. He said that the NEP allows students to select any career. Osmania University senior professor Prof D Chennappa said that though the state government was yet to implement the NEP, the choice-based credit rating system has been implemented since 2012. Ni-MSME Professor Muthyala Sarath said that the government was helping the students to become entrepreneurs.

"Any skill which is brought should be possessing value. If your skill doesn't give value, you are not going to give value to the organisation," he said. Gitanjali Group of Schools Director Madhvi Chandra said that this was the exciting time to be in education. She said that there was a huge influx of technology with online classes after the pandemic. There is a huge gap in education in rural areas to the high socio economic places, which needs to be bridged, she said.