Bengaluru: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued a directive mandating the establishment of ‘Composite Skill Labs’ in all affiliated schools to boost skill education as per the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE).
Under this directive, schools are instructed to set up either a single Composite Skill Lab of 600 sq ft for classes 6-12 or two separate labs of 400 sq ft each—one for classes 6-10 and the other for classes 11-12.
The notification specifies that a fully equipped Composite Skill Lab is mandatory for all schools seeking new affiliations with CBSE. Schools already affiliated must set up these labs within three years.
The NCF-SE emphasises the need for schools to create opportunities for students to engage in hands-on tasks and projects linked to their selected skills. The establishment of well-equipped skill labs and vocational training centres is crucial to providing an environment conducive to practical learning and skill development.
Various subjects offered by CBSE related to skilling:
Under the NEP 2020 guidelines, CBSE offers a wide range of vocational courses to foster skill development. The Board has organised these courses into three groups based on the educational stage: middle school (classes 6 to 8), secondary school (classes 9 to 10), and senior secondary school (classes 11 to 12).
At the senior secondary level, CBSE provides a variety of courses, including Introduction to Financial Markets, Banking and Insurance, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Electronics and Hardware, and many others. These courses are designed to offer students specialised knowledge and skills that are directly applicable to various professions and industries.
According to the NEP 2020 guidelines, CBSE provides a wide range of vocational courses to promote skill development. The Board has divided these courses into three categories based on their educational level: middle school (classes 6–8), secondary school (classes 9–10), and senior secondary school (classes 11–12).
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 places a strong emphasis on vocational and skill-based education. The objective is to integrate vocational training into mainstream education, which will help students to be skilled and job ready from an early age.