Government schemes are important part of UPSC preparation. Lets understand some of the important government schemes related to education sector.
SHREYA: Scheme for higher education youth in apprenticeship and skills:
Under: The Ministry of Human Resources Development, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, and the Ministry of Labour & Employment.
Aim: To enhance the employability of Indian youth, the initiative aims to provide ‘on the job work exposure’ and enable them to earn a stipend.
- The Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills (SHREYAS) offers industry apprenticeship opportunities to general graduates exiting in April 2019. This is done via the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS).
- SHREYAS encompasses various initiatives. These include the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), the National Career Service (NCS), and the introduction of BA/BSc/BCom (Professional) courses in higher educational institutions.
- The program aims to equip students in degree courses, primarily non-technical ones, with employable skills, integrate apprenticeship into education. It also aims to merge government efforts to facilitate employment into the education system. This ensures clear pathways to employment opportunities for students during and after their graduation.
- The Scheme will primarily operate alongside the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS). The scheme mandates the placement of apprentices up to 10% of the total workforce in every business/industry.
- The implementation of the scheme will be the responsibility of the Sector Skill Councils (SSCs). Initially, the SSCs will focus on sectors such as Banking Finance Insurance Services (BFSI), Retail, Healthcare, Telecom, Logistics, Media, IT, and Apparel. Additional sectors will be gradually incorporated based on emerging apprenticeship demand and curriculum adjustments.
NISHTHA: Teachers’ Training Programme
Under: Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD)
Aim: To motivate and equip teachers to encourage and foster critical thinking in students.
- Teachers will undergo training and skill development in various areas, including learning outcomes, competency-based learning and testing, and ICT in teaching-learning.
- The aim is to enhance the capacities of approximately 42 lakh participants, including all teachers and heads of schools at the elementary level in all government schools.
- Implementation will involve 33,120 Key Resource Persons (KRPs) and State Resource Persons (SRP). This will be identified by the states and UTs conducting training directly.
- The KRPs and SRPs will receive training from 120 National Resource Persons identified from institutions like the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
- States and UTs have the option to customize the training modules and utilize their own material and resource persons. They can also consider the core topics and expected outcomes of NISHTHA.
- Notable features of the program include activity-based modules with an integrated continuous feedback mechanism, online monitoring and support system, training need and impact analysis (Pre and Post training).
- A mobile app and Learning Management System (LMS) based on MOODLE (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) have been developed by NCERT.
- The LMS will facilitate the registration of Resource Persons and Teachers, dissemination of resources, training gap. It will impact analysis, monitoring, mentoring, and measuring progress online.
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Impactful Policy Research in Social Sciences (IMPRESS)
Under: Indian Council of Social Science and Research (ICSSR)
Aim: To identify and fund research proposals in social sciences with maximum impact on the governance and society.
The government has approved the initiative “Revitalizing Infrastructure and Systems in Education by 2022.” As a result, the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) has expanded the scope of institutions eligible for funding, to include not only higher education institutions but also school education and medical education institutions.
To ensure a transparent and competitive process for selecting projects online, we are offering opportunities for social science researchers in any institution across the country. It will also include all Universities (Centre and State), and private institutions with 12(B) status conferred by UGC.
ICSSR funded/recognized research institutes will also qualify to submit research proposals on the specified themes and sub-themes.
National Education Technology Forum (NETF):
It will offer independent evidence-based advice to central and state government agencies regarding technology-based interventions. It will give particular emphasis on enhancing technology access at the grassroots education level.
Schools will need to hire skilled professionals and recruit qualified candidates to teach emerging technological skills to students. Once the forum establishes, it will request school-specific information. It will be based on the utilization of technology for academic content delivery and efforts to improve research.
Government funding will initially support it, but later stages will involve inviting private funding and support from industry bodies.
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