HYDERABAD:All the high talk by Telangana government on initiatives taken for skill development of the youth does not reflect in its education system, despite the fact that one of the biggest challenges the present government is facing is that of unemployment. This was made clear by the final list of newly recommended institutions and institutions granted extension, under the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) scheme for academic year 2018-19, released by University Grants Commission(UGC) on Thursday.
Not a single Higher Educational Institution(HEI) from Telangana figures in the list of 21 institutions from the country, recognized by UGC as Deen Dayal Upadhyay Centers for Knowledge Acquisition and Up-gradation of Skilled Human Abilities and Livelihood (KAUSHAL).
These centers receive a financial assistance of `5 crores and can run skill-based vocational courses from the diploma to PhD level in a wide range of fields, connecting academics to entrepreneurship.
It may be mentioned here that 17 states have at least one KAUSHAL centers.
The number of colleges in Telangana recognized by UGC which can offer Bachelor of Vocation(B.Voc) under NSQF is pathetic. Of the 449 colleges in the country which can offer B.Voc courses, only five are from Telangana.
Compared to this, Punjab which is as big as Telangana has about 35 colleges, neighbouring Andhra Pradesh has 12 and even a small state like Manipur has 11 colleges.