More Than 60% Students Unemployable in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

Hyderabad, Telangana: According to a recent survey, more than 60% students in the states of AP and Telangana do not possess skills required for employment. Over the weekend, the Pearson Voice of Teachers Survey 2015 has revealed that about 61% students in Telangana and 64% in Andhra Pradesh lag behind in communication skills and the knowledge required for employability.

The survey has been conducted in 32 cities in AP and 15 cities of Telangana, as the Centre is planning to implement a new education policy from the next year.

According to experts, the survey carries significant insights and possible solutions from teachers that can aid the government's deliberations on the new policy, which includes themes such as employability, industry collaborations and integration of digital education.

The survey, an annual initiative of Pearson India, revealed that 75% teachers in Telangana and 86% in AP think it is time to restructure courses. Respondents in the survey also strongly pitched for industry-academia collaboration.

"To meet the developmental requirements of the state, the syllabus and examination pattern in higher education must reflect local requirements and realities. The age old syllabus and courses must be revamped so that they meet the standards of emerging trends," said M Kondandaram, educationist and professor at Osmania University.

The teachers' community also suggested that poor employability skills may be due to lack of involvement by parents in the development of children. The survey revealed that only 34% parents in Telangana and 29% in AP were involved in the overall development of students.

Nearly half of the teachers surveyed stressed on the need for continuous assessment and merit-based internships for students. "Continuous assessment is very important as it will help identify weak students," said Anustup Nayak, vice-president of XSeed Education, which recently launched an app called 'Tapp' to measure and improve skills of students as well as teachers. The app helps to assess if the class was purposeful, if the children spoke, read and understood. Based on the assessment, it also makes a confidential report on the teacher.

Meanwhile, even as the two states are promoting digital classrooms in government schools, nearly half of the teaching community finds it a challenge to have technology-integrated education due to the high costs involved, lack of training and lack of staff to maintain the devices.

"There are still many schools that have no internet connectivity or a computer lab. If computer labs, along with language labs, could be installed in all schools, teachers too could become more computer friendly," a postgraduate faculty from a city-based private institute has been quoted in the survey.

As much as 72% teachers in AP and 66% teachers in Telangana suggested computer and internet connectivity in all institutions. "It is great to see widespread acceptance of technology as well as digital education tools across the learning curve. Going by the survey findings, there may be a case for the government to consider introducing technology subsidization schemes for educational institutes," said Deepak Mehrotra, managing director, Pearson India.