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Latest data released by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) suggest the gap between the number of students opting for general education and those pursuing technical and professional courses remains high.
Data released by the NSSO showed out of every 1,000 eligible students (aged 15-29), an overwhelming 850 pursued general studies, with only 126 students attending technical or professional courses and 24 enrolled in vocational courses. The data was collected from across 4,577 villages and 3,720 urban blocks across the country, during January-June 2014.
Data released by the NSSO showed out of every 1,000 eligible students (aged 15-29), an overwhelming 850 pursued general studies, with only 126 students attending technical or professional courses and 24 enrolled in vocational courses. The data was collected from across 4,577 villages and 3,720 urban blocks across the country, during January-June 2014.
According to the NSSO, general education refers to degree courses in general universities, while technical or professional courses pertain to those with hands-on training in one or more disciplines, in addition to theoretical classes. Courses offered by Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), National Vocational Training Institute, Regional Vocational Training Institutes, among others, are considered vocational courses.
Among those attending professional and vocational courses, the distribution among various disciplines was skewed, with an overwhelming majority pursuing engineering courses. Courses from recognised ITIs and those in the fields of agriculture, education and chartered accountancy also attracted many students.
Gender had a large imprint on the distribution. In absolute numbers, male students were primarily present across engineering, while the number of female students was more for disciplines such as management, information technology and computer science..
Among male students, only 3.9 per cent opted for medical courses, against 13.9 per cent in the case of female students.
Citing the severe shortage of professional medical practitioners in the country, the survey pointed to inadequate opportunities for students to pursue medicine.
Among students enrolled in general education, commerce courses trailed those on humanities and science. Humanities courses were the top choice for about half the male students; for female students, it was more than half.
In recent months, the central government has been focusing on the Skill India campaign and a concentrated policy push for this is expected in the next few weeks. The government aims to impart specific industry-based skills to students who might later join the country’s workforce as proficient labour, raising productivity. The Cabinet has already cleared a national policy for skill development and an institutional structure for skill training.
