Why ‘Skill India’ may not work in strife-torn regions

Who are the targets of Skill India? Who are the targeted beneficiaries of this scheme? The marginalised, displaced, impoverished, illiterate and semi-literate youth of conflict regions would be at a disadvantage.The biggest threat to the Skill India initiative is the current state  of education in India. It is inaccessible to most and lacks quality.  Basic academic qualification is a prerequisite to skills training without which the core capabilities and core technical skills are impossible to develop in a candidate. In order to respond to the needs of the labour market and continue with gainful employment, basic academic skills are mandatory. Instead of invigorating the education sector and bringing more children to schools, the government has initiated education cuts. In this year's budget, the education spend was reduced from Rs 82,771 crore to Rs 69,074 crore. The Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan saw a cut of 22.14 per cent and secondary education witnessed a reduction by 28.7 per cent. When elementary education is compromised, how would Skill India undertake the “mapping of manpower requirements, not just in India, but globally as well”? The aim of imparting skills training is to boost the manufacturing sector and to increase the global competitiveness of the Indian workforce. With a literacy rate of mere 74.4 per cent and a gender difference of 16.6 per cent, the goal seems unattainable.  The “competitive” China is way ahead with a 95.1 per cent literacy rate and a gender difference of 4.8 per cent. Skill India targets households where “parents from middle-class, lower middle-class and poor families ask their children to learn some skill so that they can stand on their feet.” Poor and middle class have no access to affordable quality education. Kendriya Vidalaya schools and residential Navodaya Vidyalayas are in demand but are less in number. The 2015-16 budget even slashed the mid-day meal funding to 16.41 per cent on which urban and rural poor children are dependent.  Can the target of training 40.2 crore people be attained by 2022? Thrust has been given to Industrial Training Institutes which warrants secondary education. The assumption is that an ITI aspirant would possess a reasonable quality of education.  But the reality is different. The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), 2014, states that only an average 48.1 per cent of Class V children across India can read a Class II-level text. India is ranked 73rd among 74 participating economies in PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) rankings. PISA test assesses the knowledge in maths and science and real world problem-solving skills in 15-year-olds.  The Naxal hotbed of Jharkhand has a literacy rate of 67.63  per cent (Census 2011). Years of education neglect has kept 2,80,167 children Out of School (GoI report). Retention of children in school in areas which witnesses intense Naxal activities is  “low and alarming,” the report states. The Scheduled Tribes children’s drop-out rates, at  15 per cent, remain a  “cause of concern.” School-age youngsters living in Naxal regions have been denied their basic rights of education and protection. The current Right To Education (RTE) Act provisions are inept in strife-torn regions. Malnutrition is rampant in several tribal /Naxal regions that contribute to delays in cognitive development of young children. The nutritional deficit leads to slow academic learning which translates to poor manpower quality for skilling. These are real threats lurking for target year 2022 and before, in skilling 40.2 crore youth. Lack of education, nutrition and basic health are real traps to poverty, not the absence of vocational training.   Youth living in a violent atmosphere suffer from trauma.  A research conducted by Save the Children stated in its report that children have difficulty in comprehending and learning and need constant psycho-social support to realise their potential. Skilling initiatives have been undertaken in conflict regions. Under the surrender-cum-rehabilitation policy, vocational skills are imparted to provide gainful employment. The ground reality is that surrendered cadres are used for counter-insurgency (India's Child Soldiers, Asian Center for Human Rights).  The skilling programme, “Udaan” in Jammu and Kashmir seems to have fared well.  Other training initiatives include “Gram Tarang” in Naxal regions of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh and project “Roshini”, among others.  “Roshini” was launched in 2013 to train and place, in three years, 50, 000 rural poor youth from 27 Naxal/ Maoist-affected districts in nine states. In 2012, National Skill Development Corporation tied-up with corporates to train youths from the Naxal-affected states in computer and mobile phone repairing, motor mechanic, catering, hospitality, carpentry, nursing assistant among others. The already-launched and ongoing initiatives should be evaluated for effectiveness. The marketability of the courses for meaningful employability is desirable. The aspect of re-skilling must be considered in the fast-paced technological era.  It is also desirable to end the perception that vocational training is the dead end, a last resort for school drop-outs.  Internal cohesion and synergy among ministries and departments is required for effective implementation of the schemes.  There are at least 20 different government bodies running skill- development programmes but with lack of coordination and synergy resulting in confusion and duplication of work. Reaping the demographic dividend through skill-building will remain a distant dream if issues of inclusivity and basic education are not addressed.   http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/why-skill-india-may-not-work-in-strife-torn-regions/116568.html