India and Singapore are set to tie up to explore possibilities of exchange of “best practices” focused on integrating “skilling” and “re-skilling” in school curriculum and vocational studies into mainstream education during the discussions between the two countries to be held in the upcoming series of events ahead of the G20 education working group meeting in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, between April 22 and 27, said officials in central government.

According to the education ministry officials, one of the important sessions during the meeting would be on school systems and partnering with the Singapore government for learning the “best practices” from one another.

These are precursor events to be held ahead of the third education working group meeting on the theme ‘Future of Work’.

The fourth and final working group meeting will be held in Pune, Maharashtra, between June 19 and 21 on the theme ‘Foundational Numeracy and Literacy (FLN)’. The first two meetings were held earlier this year at IIT-Madras, Chennai, and Amritsar, Punjab, respectively.

“We will be having a workshop with representatives of the Singapore government on April 25 where the breakout session would be the ‘integration of skills into school education curriculum’. Though we have been doing it under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) as an optional subject for classes 9 and 10, and as a compulsory subject for classes 10 and 11, now with the new National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, we have to introduce skilling from class 6 onwards,” said Sanjay Kumar, secretary, school education.

The idea is to scale up efforts to create an environment where there is a demand for vocational education. “This is where we will take on best practices from each other,” he said.

The NEP highlights that by 2025, at least 50% of learners through the school and higher education system shall have exposure to vocational education, for which a clear action plan with targets and timelines will be developed.

Atul K Tiwari, secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), said Singapore has done considerable work in the skilling, re-skilling, and upskilling sectors. “The emphasis is on creating a system where vocational studies are part of mainstream education, from school curriculum up to higher education,” he said.

The discussions will also include equipping children with a range of future skills to set them on a course of lifelong learning, he added.

The precursor events are being organised in collaboration with various higher education institutions and industry partners including IIT Bhubaneswar, IIM Sambalpur, Central University, NIT, IMMT Bhubaneswar, Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, Deloitte, CII, and USIBC.

Also, 2023 being the ‘International Year of Millets’, a food festival showcasing tribal millets and local cuisines would be organised for G20 delegates and participants.

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