<div><em> Delhi government plans to push vocational education for school children in a big way. <strong>Simar Singh</strong> reports</em><br><br>“Our dream is to make Delhi a knowledge hub of leadership in the next four and a half years,” said Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in a blunt but ambitious speech at the Capital’s India Habitat Centre on Wednesday (19 August). In the interactive session on ‘Making Delhi the Knowledge Hub of India’ which was organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Sisodia made a case on the need to make a paradigm shift in the approach to education, inviting participation from the industries.</div><div> </div><div>Taking a jab the central government’s “misplaced” focus on creating facilities like toilets, Sisodia said that that was only “the first and not the ultimate step” calling for an emphasis on research to develop techniques and programmes to strengthen education and make it more valuable.</div><div> </div><div>“Before this event I was at an education policy meeting where there was just talk of mid-day meals and giving out sanitary napkins to girls in school, which is undeniably important, but there was no talk about policy and where we want education to go,” he claimed.</div><div> </div><div>In line with the country-wide skill development wave, the Delhi government plans to push vocational education for school children in a big way, with plans to roll out a programme this September, and will announce the Delhi Skill Development Scheme sometime this year.</div><div> </div><div>Sisodia also spoke about the state government’s ‘Be a Teacher’ concept which wants to draw successful personalities to take a few classes. President Pranab Mukherjee, as a part of this, is expected to teach a government school class on the eve of teacher’s day to “honour the teaching community”.</div>
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