To address the problem, we can make additions like college credit system in high school with the introduction of AP courses, vocational courses and learning based on experiment. Qualities like communication and problem-solving skills can be boosted through extra-curriculars. We ought to prioritize career guidance and internship opportunities in the field of interest so that we relieve the youth of the usual quarter life crisis.
Myra Walia (15)
St Luke’s, Solan

The curriculum in our educational institutions is lagging behind in youth skill development due to numerous reasons. Firstly, regular career counselling for children is significant in implementing good values and skills that will help them overcome any situation in the job market. The government must provide resources for educators to stay informed about technical advancements. Educational institutions should collaborate with various business and industry tycoons to help children understand the demands of the market. Finally, schools and colleges should facilitate opportunities for students to gain real-world experience through internships and start building their abilities from childhood. I believe that if the government adopts these ideas, India will surely become a nation full of teen-preneurs.
Aadya Kumar (14)
St Joseph’s Convent High School Jethuli, Patna, Bihar

Educational institutions can take the following steps to improve curriculum implementation:
Provide Support Structures: Districts can support schools and teachers with professional development networks to implement an effective science curriculum, instruction, and formative assessments.
Promote Holistic Development: Teachers and parents can promote students’ holistic development in both academic and non-academic spheres.
Prioritize Foundational Literacy and Numeracy: Students should achieve foundational literacy and numeracy by grade 3.
Provide Flexibility: Students should be able to choose their learning trajectories and programmes based on their talents and interests.
Eliminate Hard Separations: There should be no hard separations between arts and sciences, curricular and extracurricular activities, and vocational and academic streams.
Daksh Bhardwaj (13)
Notre Dame School, Badarpur, New Delhi

Educational institutions should take several steps, for example, offering career counselling services to help students understand the job market, identify their strengths, and align their educational paths with their career goals. This guidance can assist students in making informed decisions about their academic choices. Implementing internship programmes or work placement opportunities for students can bridge the gap between theory and practice. Real-world experience gained during internships can enhance students’ employability and readiness for the job market. Organizing skill development workshops, seminars, and guest lectures by industry experts to provide students with hands-on experience and exposure to the latest industry practices. By implementing these steps, educational institutions can bridge the gap between educational curricula and job market demands, better equipping students with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in their future careers.
Priya Raj (14)
St Joseph’s Convent High School, Jethuli, Patna

To address the misalignment between educational curricula and the job market, both institutions and governments must undertake immediate steps. Institutions should foster partnerships with industries to understand current skill demands, updating their curricula accordingly. Emphasizing practical, hands-on learning experiences and integrating technological advancements into course work can better prepare students for real-world challenges. Simultaneously, governments should incentivize collaboration between educational institutions and businesses, allocating resources for retraining programmes and promoting apprenticeships to bridge the gap between education and employment. Additionally, establishing regulatory frameworks that encourage flexibility and innovation in educational practices can facilitate swift adaptation to evolving job market needs. By fostering closer ties between academia and industry while promoting adaptable educational policies, institutions and governments can effectively address the issue of youth skill development.
Parth Sahore (14)
Notre Dame School, Badarpur, New Delhi

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Tiny Leaps, Big Changes focuses on habits you can develop in your everyday life to lead to a bigger change. This personal development podcast focuses on exploring the day-to-day behaviours we all engage in that determine the results we gain. It covers topics such as learning new skills, consistent improvement, eating healthier, managing anxiety, overcoming perfectionism, beating procrastination, etc. Hosted by Gregg Clunis, the show shares simple strategies you can implement to start moving towards your goals.

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“Aunty Malini, you and Uncle Alex, please sit and chat with Dadi-ma and Papa, while I go in and prepare breakfast for you,” said Malini’s nephew, Obaid.

“Breakfast?” blurted out Malini. “Nothing, Obaid beta! You go out and play while I fix breakfast myself for all of us!”

“But Aunty, we’ve all had our breakfast already! So, it’s only for you two that I will prepare something.”

“No, beta,” said Malini, thinking to herself, ‘what breakfast can this little teenager make other than bread-and-butter, I wonder?’

But no! Obaid would not take no for an answer and, on the contrary, prevailed upon them to spend time chatting with his grandparents, saying, “You have both come such a looooong distance to see Dadi-ma and Papa! So, I think Dadi-ma and Papa will be very happy if you do just that!”

The Secret of Bliss

Incidentally, Malini and Alex were visiting the former’s parental home after a gap of nearly three long pandemic-ridden years after having relocated to Mumbra, a town some 30+ km away from Mumbai, shortly after their marriage. Incidentally, Malini couldn’t help but notice that her parents, the Charpoys, both in their mid-seventies appeared to be at the peak of old-age bliss. But of course, it wasn’t long before she was to discover the secret.

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Vocational Education refers to education that trains students to gain specific skills to do specific work and enter into a specific vocation.

In ancient times, we had the Goldsmith Guild and Blacksmith Guild wherein people took training from these experts and entered into that profession. Today, we have ventured into Vocational Education along with higher academic education through Technical Colleges, ITI’s & specific Vocational Institutions.

In the U.S., we have community colleges. Ordinary Americans are unable to afford prestigious academic education; hence they attend Community Colleges and learn various technical courses and take up jobs for their living.

New India, in the wake of the Government’s new schemes, promulgated by Hon. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, like ATAL Tinkering Labs, NSDC, PMKVY, MSSDS, is encouraging the youth to take technical skills and enter into the field of entrepreneurship or ‘job givers’ rather than ‘job seekers’. The Government is envisioning a generation of innovators from those with creative skills, industrial designs, good hand-motor coordination and general dexterity, ingenuity and creativity, thereby giving companies the skills they want and provide the workers with the fishing rods to fish for a better life.

All students are not good at academics neither can they afford it. Thus, we need to recognize this and offer vocational studies along with academic studies; the onus of educating or skilling lies with us, the educators.
Let us make the maximum utilization of the available space to help students of different interests take up a decent means of livelihood. We can and we must utilize the available space after or before school hours for various skill development courses.

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