Ludhiana: New skill-based courses draw Class 11 admission seekers
Four government schools in the district have been selected under the state’s initiative, School of Applied Learning, for which the admissions have already begun
The new skill-based streams being offered to students seeking admissions in Class 11 are receiving good response, principals of government schools have said.
Four government schools in the district have been selected under the state’s initiative, School of Applied Learning, for which the admissions have already begun. The move is aimed at reshaping the future of senior secondary education, say teachers.
Among the selected institutions is Government Senior Secondary School (GSSS), PAU. The school has introduced two specialised skill-based streams — Banking Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI), and Digital Design and Development. These streams include three trade-specific subjects along with four foundational subjects. Principal Pardeep Kumar said two new laboratories are currently under construction to support the new streams. These will be operational soon, he said.
“The admissions in these subjects began on April 28. The response is overwhelming. Till now, nearly 33 students have got themselves enrolled. The final selection will be based on merit,” he said, adding that students are being encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. An orientation programme and parent-teacher meeting were held on April 28 to familiarise parents with the subjects and their benefits, Kumar said.
The other institutions brought under the scheme, also referred to locally as Hunar Sikhya Schools, include the schools in Dhandari Khurd, Hambran and Sahnewal.
While the new initiative has drawn praise for its forward-thinking approach, it has also reopened long-standing concerns about the state of existing vocational education in government schools. Teachers have pointed out that vocational streams, which have been running for several years, continue to suffer due to the absence of a dedicated budget and the lack of regular teaching staff since 2011.
“From arranging raw materials to organising industrial visits, everything falls on vocational teachers, without any funding support,” said a vocational teacher, requesting anonymity.
District vocational coordinator Pankaj Kaushal acknowledged the concerns, saying, “We wholeheartedly support schemes like Hunar Sikhya, but existing vocational education also deserves proper attention and funding.”
At GSSS-Dhandari Khurd, principal Ujalveer Singh said that while the government would provide teachers for the new subjects, clarity is still awaited on whether they would be existing vocational educators under the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) or fresh recruits. He also confirmed that 30 students have already enrolled in the new streams at his school.
Efforts to reach district education officer (secondary) Dimple Madan for comments were unsuccessful.