The existing education system of Nepal only focuses on attaining higher education in specialized fields rather than prioritizing production of manpower suitable for Nepali job market and economy. This has been increasing the education divide in the country, which in turn has been widening the social divide.
To reduce this widening gap, we must realize the importance of under-represented and under-estimated sector of apprenticeship system of learning. We must shift our focus towards vocational education and training (VET). [break]
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Such pragmatic education, when attainable to working-age people with minimum or no specialized education, will increase the productivity of workers in various disciplines.
I want to emphasize the importance of VET through the example of German system of learning. The VET system in Germany is well-resourced with both public and private funding, and is deeply embedded and widely respected in German society. The system offers qualifications in a broad spectrum of professions and flexibly adapts to the changing needs of the labor market.
This is how in-house manpower production and their absorption in German economy are balanced. Despite major differences in socio-politico-economic conditions between Germany and Nepal, there are some very important lessons that can be learned from German system of VET. For a country like Nepal, whose economy is based on small-scale industries and sectors like tourism, agriculture, and energy—which also happen to be the sectors that have a large demand pull for the manpower trained through VET—a significant support in the country’s economy can be achieved.
Meticulous Planning
The quality of work-force Germany produces, be it of high-skilled or medium-skilled manpower, is evident through its school system. German school system provides the opportunity for its students to choose the type of education they want early on. Following four years of compulsory primary education, a student is allowed to choose from multiple secondary school paths which prepares the student for his/her higher education or career.
Depending on the qualification of the student, these paths can result in upper secondary general schools, dual-system of education (integrated work-based and school-based learning to prepare apprentices for a successful transition to full-time employment), vocational schools, or pre-vocational programs. Moreover, students are provided with alternatives in case they fail to gain admission in their preferred school.
For instance, a student failing to enter dual-system of education after 9-10 years of schooling is provided with an opportunity to attend one year of pre-vocational program which prepares the student for vocational education.
The system
In Germany, more than half of the working age population (25-64 years) has received VET. As of 2011, this figure was 58.7 percent of the working age population. One of the reasons for such high percentage of people taking VET is the way VET is run through the joint collaboration of companies, trade unions, and state.
Thanks to the efficient and defined roles of the involved parties in regulating the execution of VET programs, more and more people are motivated to participate in VET. The organizational benefits from these roles come in the form of companies’ and trade unions’ abilities to negotiate with social partners on their interests over VET, trainees’ employment opportunities and flexibility in switching between companies, and finally, the efficacy of state on regulating the finances and management of VET.
There is a whole range of different VET schools in Germany, viz., preparatory schools, informal schools, dual-degree system schools, continuing VET schools, senior training VET schools etc. Many VETs are offered in-house by companies. A 2012 report by Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training notes that in 2010, 35 percent of the companies with 1-9 employees, 61 percent with 10-49 employees, 84 percent with 50-499 employees and 98 percent companies with 500+ employees offered VET or Continuing VET in their companies. This helps ensure the match between supply push and demand pull in the production of manpower.
Moreover, there exist clear instructions about how these schools can run, which courses they can offer and what types of instructors they can hire. Depending on the programs, instructors need to be certified masters (from companies), educators or trainers in professional/vocational education, or university-trained teachers.
VET in Nepal
VET is currently being provided in Nepal by some colleges and institutions like CTEVT. But VET schools and teaching methods are not structured and defined as they are in Germany. Our VET system fails to maintain close ties with businesses, and hence, is without markets’ demand-supply synchronization. Besides, the unbalanced power and seemingly parallel system of authority of trade unions in industries have done nothing more than shut down our industries. In Germany, VET schools have brought industries, trade unions and workers together to decide the changing route of employment and production structure, and hence, work towards the attainment of higher equilibrium point in economy.
Increasing number of Nepali students who seek higher education and employment abroad each year has changed the landscape of our manpower supply and demand. Although we cannot stop the migrating workforce, we can train the existing population to fill the market void of manpower. Through a well-structured and meticulously planned VET, we can supply the kinds of intermediate skills our market needs. VET schools can produce cross-occupational manpower and the skill-sets can be compensatory to civic and academic forms of education.
But care must be taken to control the quality and accessibility of such VET schools. In lack of proper policies and monitoring, VET schools are likely to follow the fate of heavily private-investment-run schools which come with high cost and are clustered in big cities. There must be a near-homogeneous distribution of affordable VET schools across Nepal. Undeniably, Nepal will have a lot to gain from properly planned and well-structured VET schools.
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