EDUCATION MANAGEMENT – ISSUE 102

VOLUME X – CHAPTER  14

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

Career festivals and vocational education

          Address delivered by Prof. N. Shanmugam Education Officer, KV Sangathan, in July 1980 at the vocational education seminar organised by the apprenticeship board, ministry of labour, Govt of India in Bangalore in the presence of Sri P. Sabanayagam, IAS Union Education Secretary, Govt of India.

          Recently on 8^th May 80 when the Education Secretary met Principals of Kendriya Vidyalaya at Madras he expressed an anxiety that the Kendriya Vidyalaya are slowly becoming cute schools as they concentrate only on academic courses and are able to introduce the vocational streams on one pretext or other saying that since the students gets transferred from one school to another, that like the State Govt. Schools they don’t have the backing of the state Govt to coax the industrialists to help them and they have to request the industrialists themselves.

          Let assure the secretary that the fault lies not in the scheme but in that we have not made a serious attempt to implement it. There is no dearth of resources, no death of large hearted industrialists and others to help us; no dearth of large qualified and enthusiastic staff, no dearth of talented children and willing parents. All that is needed is imaginative action, initiative, human relations and leadership. I am sure that under the dynamic leadership of our present Commissioner Shri Pawar who knows the Kendriya Vidyalaya though and through, their growth, their problems and their prospects, we should be able to achieve this goal very shortly. Let us not be enticed by the temptation of announcing a new vocational stream once in a month, let us not aim at a quantitative expressions but at qualitative consolidation. In Kendriya Vidyalayas introduction of vocational education need not mean only starting courses involving some workshop training. In time with the character of our institution it is also necessary for us to take charge of the training of our pupil for professional courses like Medicine, Engineering, NDA, etc., as they are also vocations of a different sort. At present there is no organised training of children for these exams. We will be doing a great service to the pupils by undertaking this work.

          Alongside with the ideas of the introduction of Vocational Courses I would suggest that we organises caries of career festivals which can be done in 8 ways as per my experience. At Coimbatore, we organised a 7 days programme of 2 talks each day. Eminent parents in the locality from various walks of life were requested to address the pupils on topics like the Defence Services, Banking, Insurance, Home Science, Marketing, Self Business etc. At Sambalpur on the model of the career festival I saw at Lubbock, teams in 1981 we organised a 3 days career festivals in which the local industries and organisations like Indal, Alind Ltd., UCO Bank, State Bank, State Geology Dept., Fisheries Industries Dept., Agriculture, Co-operative Depts., O.P. Mills, Rourkela Steel Mills, S.E. Rly, Burla Medical and Engineering College of Sambalpur University put up stalls explaining their work, the type of men needed for various posts in their organisations, the qualifications and training expected, the benefits that will accrue. This enabled many students to have an idea of what life outside after schooling would be like and how they should prepare themselves for it. On these lines we can have a Career Festival organised for each Kendriya Vidyalaya with +2 course in cooperation with various organisations and agencies around.

What different schools can do

          Subsequent to this for the actual introduction of the vocational stream I have worked out a plan for each Kendriya Vidyalaya in the Madras Region

1.	K.V. IAF Avadi	Interior Decoration Technical Trades (Air wing) Veterinary Assts. Course (with the help of AFS Sta. & Central Cattle Breeding Farm).
2.	KV. RVF Avadi	a.      Dress Designing – Clothing Factory. b.     Electronics – RVF Avadi c.      Machinist/lathe work – I.C.F.
3.	KV. Tambaram	Aeronatical Engineering (M.I.T) Mechanical Engineering (Binny)
4.	K.V. IIT	Electronics, computer programming, Data processing, Secretary ship, Insurance-G.I.C.
5.	KV CLRI	Catering Technology – Catering Institute Leather Technology – CLRI
6.	KV Kalpakkam	Electronics – M.A.P.P.
7.	KV Pondicherry	Nursing – Jipmer. Paper making – Auroville.
8.	KV Trichy	Lather & Machine work – Ordnance Factory Insurance – GIC
9.	KV Madurai	Auto Engineering – TVS Textile Technology – Madura Mills Building Foreman – Theoyaraya College of Education Insurance – GIC
10.	KV Trivandrum	Insurance – GIC Electronics – Keltrion & Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.
11.	KV Cochin-I	Fisheries Sea Food Life – Central Directorate of Fisheries Marine Engineering – Ship building yard
12.	KV, Ernakulam	Fisheries Tech. – CIFNET Insurance – GIC Auto Engineering – TVS Secretary ship
13.	KV, Calicut	Building Foreman – REC.
14.	KV, Malleshwaram	Insurance – GEC. Secretary Ship
15.	KV, Hebbal	Draughtsmanship, Electronics
16.	KV, MEG	Interior Decoration
17.	KV, ASC	Secretary Ship
18.	KV, Jalahalli	Draughtsmanship, Electronics
19.	KV, Coimbatore	Auto Engineers – TVS/Mahalingam. Electronics – IMS Draughtsmanship – IMS Machinist/Lathe work – Mahendra Engr. Air conditioning – Brilliant Engr. Banking – SBI & Canara Bank Insurance – GIC Textile Technology – SITRA
20.	KV, Aruvankodu	Photography – HPF Machine/Lathe work – GFA. Coraute factory

          For all Kendriya Vidyalayas as a general rule we should have Nursing, Banking and Secretarial course, with the help of the local hospitals and Nationalised Banks. For those who don’t have an idea of going to college, Secretarial Course will help them to get settled in life. Even as the State Govt. is able to influence the local industries in the State for their vocational education programme the Central Govt. should direct all the nationalised Banks, LIC, GIC to help the Kendriya Vidyalayas in implementing this programme. Even as the schools managed by industrialists get all the help from their parent concerns, the Defence Ministry should direct its 3 wings to take the initiative in introducing a vocational facilities and resource consistent with defence requirements and classification. This has to be done because the Kendriya Vidyalayas is Defence Campuses are situated far away from the main city and as such these children who are mainly the children of Defence Employers have to be taken care of the respective units.

          The purpose of these educational courses in Kendriya Vidyalayas cannot be the preparation of children for taking a career after learning school. Because of the peculiar character of Kendriya Vidyalayas our aim should be to provide them with an opportunity to learn the dignity of labour, to get practical experience in fields related to their electives and their future ambitions and to instill in them an increasing awareness of life outside and sensitivity to problems around them. After this type of training the students of Kendriya Vidyalaya who go out to Engineering, Medical or any other profession will find themselves better situated for that since they would already have been tuned properly to the standards and rigours of their further education. If they so desire, this will help them to go in for a full fledged Technical Training Course also.

          There is an old saying that when we don’t have what we like we must like what we have. When we cannot command certain facilities and resources through authority and power, (which of course may not be fully useful as anyone helping us under coercion or compulsion will not be giving fully and freely), we have to adjust ourselves to the requirements of those who help us voluntarily and with love for our children.

This naturally will call for a flexible rescheduling of the Time table in such a manner that the services of the staff shall be made available to the children as per the needs of the vocational education programme. If this requires some extra staff, it must be sanctioned for those schools as staff also cannot be overwhelmed. Besides, this will also involve a readjustment of the distribution of the number of periods. Those with 4 elective can take one language plus one vocational subject. Those with 3 electives can take 2 languages and one vocational subject. Because of this SUPW can be taken off the plus scheme.

 

VOLUME X – CHAPTER  15

B2B TO B2C

Silence is golden

Car racing Arnos Circuit in Pau, France, is an exciting lesson in humility. So also your everyday as a Principal interacting say with 1500 students, 3000 parents, 100 staff is a great humbling experience- a great lesson in humility.

Any Principal will have a small group of senior teachers who will be close to him. So also your higher officer will have a group of Principals. if you are one of them then you should be careful about one thing. In all such small closed group the boss is supreme- your moments of indiscretion will be anathema to him. It is a safe policy that when you are in the inner circle, you are expected to keep your mouth shut.

The author learned this while visiting Italy where the Mafia call it “OMETRA”- The code of silence. The decision is taken by the boss. He just wants your corroboration, numerical support. If you open up and say something contrary to what he has thought, assuming he would like to have a different point of view on the subject you will be thoroughly mistaken. You will be looked at as a rebel who has dared to think otherwise in front of others thereby challenging his authority.

The author has had a bitter experience once with his boss. In Govt service silence is better than speech. This is very important if you work in a family run institution.

 

 

Look at the intention

Another important aspect is that if you continue to produce excellent results in Board Examinations buttressed by your students winning laurels in important, famous international and national contests, then you are adopting a two way strategy- pushing better products to a larger consumer [parents] base in the society and thus pulling more consumers into your fold. You will also be changing your school image from a B2B school to a B2C school in business parlance so that the parents are instantly able to identify the school brand.

Staring and heading a new school is like starting a new business. In May Lee’s words “it is like starting from scratch and is no walk in the park. It is more like trekking across the north pole without a map — naked. To put it bluntly, some times it completely sucks.”

Some times there is a difference in approach between what the promoters, the correspondent, the committee thinks and what you as Principal think to be appropriate. For the dilemma of reconciling two different approaches Lee got a very useful reply from Opran Win Fray, the famous singer who said- “Simple that’s all about intention of this action? What do you want the audience [parents and students] to get out of it?” Look at the intention- yours and the other side. If you feel convinced about the other side let go your ego. School is more important than your ego. They may be thinking on a broader canvas or if you are convinced with yours, then try to bring them around to your point of view and get their whole hearted support, otherwise it will become an unhappy marriage where the only common factor between the two is that both live under the same roof! There will be an uneasy calm and no effective communication.

Always think about intention before, during and after anything you do both inside and outside the school. Lee says “it is a great philosophy to live by, because it keeps things focused and alive”.

 

Create an Educational Environment

Is your school’s growth just defined by upward movement or/and by lateral movement also? Do your staff have a greater choice and opportunity to move within the organization like Coordinator, Division Head [Kg-5, 6-8, 9&10, 11&12] Supervisor etc. or from one activity to another thus strengthening the school’s talent pool.

Today’s staff want the solace of established ‘Built to last’ schools whose HR policy does not upset them giving a chum in the stomach everyday. Schools with matured people [staff] practice will emerge as the winners.

You should have a strict selection criteria at the time of recruitment so that you can restrict drop-outs. Nowadays staff also are choosy about joining schools. Are you are safe and sound school providing a national or global work culture and do you have a strong commitment for growth. In fact it will be ideal if a few established schools come together and create an Educational Environment. That will change the Existing Ecology of the system. The better the environment, the happier the staff will be.

 

Make use of the independency to aggregate

Why can’t you as a Principal capitalize on the innate gregariousness of Indians who are capable of meeting and connecting at various levels- relating to comes so easily to us- relating stories and experiences, just relating to one another. Outside India the author has seen two things- one, Indian students belonging to a particular state huddle together. Another thing is that when a few Indians each from a different state. They bond together quickly based on their Indian Identity. [It is amazing how two Indians meeting for the first time find the connections within two minutes].

This is the advantage of our culture. So when you have staff from different states why don’t you make use of this trump card? The author has seen in USA companies, or organizations and institutions, departments which have an Indian as the head flourishing well as homogenous unit. Because the person at the top is adept at “making and keeping connections” and quite good at capitalizing on the strengths of each and every one.

At the same time in schools in India, the author has painfully observed that sometimes people from a particular state join together, form a ‘clique’ and create problems for the Principal.

 

Ask yourself

When you migrate from a rural school to a city school in search of greener pastures and higher emoluments you have to remember certain factors to overcome the socio economic chemistry.

Do you know what is your burning passion and your inherent strength.

Are you clear in your mind about your goal. The direction you want your life to take?

Are you glued to the choice you have?

Can you find someone who can guide and mentor you- a person who is not frugal in sharing his knowledge and expertise with you.

Have you a full fledge career plan, with a clear focus and ability to make decisions, keen anticipation of possible challenges and skill to overcome them.

Are you able to communicate accurately, effectively, in a brief and concise manner, rivet the audience attention and help others to understand you as well as yourself understand others.

Can you organize and manage your work in the modern and effective manner and also be flexible?

• Can you get things done?
• Can you avoid imposing yourself?
• Can you update yourself in conduct and technology?
• Can you change your personal interpersonal managerial behaviour to suit different cultural expectations and behaviours?
• Can you develop useful contacts, relationship with people who can create opportunities for you.
• Can you yourself in such a way that you command respect
• Can you develop your ‘presence’
• Have you developed “cop ability” with everyday problems and challenges in living in a new environment and a fast passed life style?
• Can you ready yourself to a punishing work schedule, deadlines, a performance-oriented culture and an aggressive boss.
• Are you a person imbued with values, loyalty, commitment, dedication resilience, incite and integrity?

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HOW can we find time for all this when we have to toil every moment for feeding and clothing ourselves? But you forget, the Lord will grant you these material things and even immortality, if only you place full reliance on Him. Whatever you do, have the name, Rama or Krishna, or Siva or Hari on your tongue, no extra time or energy is needed for that. When you rise in the morning, rise with the Name on your tongue and slide into sleep with the Name on your tongue. – Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Bab