SoALs to offer skill courses in Financial Management, Fashion Studies

In its most recent budget, the Delhi government announced plans to establish 12 new Schools of Applied Learning (SoAL) beginning with the 2023-24 academic year. The budget's all-time high allocation to the education department, at Rs 16,575 crore, is the highest sum among all other sectors.

Schools of Applied Learning (SoAL) with Accreditation from DBSE

SoALs will be accredited with the Delhi Board of School Education (DBSE) and would range in age from nursery to XII. From class IX onward, students will have access to skill-based courses like fashion studies, financial management, and mechatronics.

The topics of robotics, control systems, electromechanical systems, microeconomic management, marketing and sales, financial management, use of technology in fashion, and the history of clothes would all be covered while taking these courses. Currently, 548 government schools in Delhi provide vocational courses in disciplines including data science, food technology, information technology, and many others. The Delhi government will construct these 12 schools as part of a pilot programme, and they will later convert the current schools to SoAL.

Integration of Skill-Based Education with Traditional Education

Indu Dalal, a lecturer at the Department of Education, said, "The Delhi government has decided to set up SoALs in the recent budget with an aim to strengthen the skill sets among the students so that they are able to survive in the competitive and quickly changing job market even while studying academics.

The purpose of adding the fashion studies, financial management, and mechatronics skill topics is to integrate skill-based education with traditional education in line with NEP 2020 objectives. Teachers would ensure that students comprehend the relevance of the abilities they learn while studying these subjects in addition to this, which would deter a culture of rote learning among students.

On-the-Job Training and Internships in Industries

Fashion Studies, Financial Management, and Mechatronics will be provided in classes IX and X, whereas just Mechatronics will be taught in classes XI and XII. Students that receive this kind of skill development will be prepared for modern occupations.

These three skill subjects will be taught to the students who enrol in SoALs by the current faculty for vocational subjects. "As part of pursuing these skill courses, students will be taken for on-the-job training and internships in industries dedicated to retail, web application, and so on," Dalal explains.

Under the condition of anonymity, a source in the Delhi government states, "The government has decided to establish schools of applied learning to merge the skill education with the mainstream education. The purpose of teaching financial management is to instil in students the value of being financially responsible.