The document proposes merging primary education with vocational training starting in 6th grade to make students more employable. It notes that while the government spends a lot on education, many graduates are still unemployable due to skills gaps. The plan suggests teaching basic vocational skills like gardening, pottery, and mechanics to city students, and farming, cooking, and crafts to village students starting in middle school. This could help reduce dropout rates by making education more practical and engaging. Challenges include costs of equipment and developing the new curriculum, but these could be addressed by involving parents as volunteer teachers. The goal is to equip all students with some employable skills regardless of their education level.

1. Boosting Skill Sets
Increasing the
employability of youth
A schooling approach

2. Present Scenario
 Government spent 438.25 billion rupees on
education in the 11th five year plan
 With a booming economy, the number of
jobs in India are expected to double
 Yet, 48% employers find it hard to fill in
vacancies
 Government agencies trying to address
this problem have had dismal results at
best.

3. Identifiable Problems
 Low-literacy levels.
 With a huge industry-academia divide,
even graduates are hardly employable.
 High dropout rates – 28.6% students
dropout before 5th , 42.39% before 8th.
 Early marriage

4. The Idea
 Merging primary education and training.
 Start vocational courses in sync with
primary education itself.
 Teach children 6th onwards basic
vocational courses alongside their
regular studies.
 Apprenticeship during summers and
remuneration for it would help reduce
dropout rates too.

5. Implementation
City Village
6th Students taught
gardening, pottery and
other simple tasks
Students taught
farming,
measurement.
7th Students taught
bookkeeping,
accounting, and library
management
Students taught library
management,
cooking, gardening
flowery
8th Students taught IT
work, basic technician
work, garage work etc
Students taught
garage workshop,
artisan work, weaving
etc

6. After 8th?
 Students who continue can be taught proper
vocational courses like IT, electrician,
mechanical etc.
 Those who dropout are equipped with skills that
enable them to survive.
 More importantly, they know the power of
education and can continue to learn, with or
without the system.
 Education to them isn’t a bunch of formulas but
something practical and useful. An income
generation method.

7. Why From Sixth?
 Catch ‘em young.
 Most dropouts occur due to parental
pressure or child’s reluctance to study.
 Incorporating activities like gardening,
plumbing etc would add a practical
aspect to education.

8. Problems ?
 Extra costs in bringing equipment
required to teach this (tools, utensils).
 Designing the new curriculum.
 Bringing in teachers who can teach
vocational courses.

9. Solutions
 Involving their parents in education.
Gardeners could teach their own
children and their classmates. Similar for
other parents.
 Such parents who teach could be
compensated monetarily, increasing
their interest in the schooling system.

10. References
 Wikipedia – Education in India http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_India
 Manthan – indiancag.org