Government should focus on day-care, school support-staff: Experts on 'Skill India'

MUMBAI: In a bid to give a boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ' Skill India Campaign', educationists in Maharashtra want the state government to extend benefits of enhancing skills of allied staff in primary, secondary and pre-schools.

Experts laid emphasis on the government changing the "age old rules and laws" to facilitate skill development, especially among women. Their suggestions also included rendering day-care facility and developing infrastructure for the same.

"The government should encourage and facilitate day care infrastructure in the country as more mothers wish to work to support family income now. There is also a need to upgrade skills of school support staff," Rajesh Bhatia, Managing Director of Tree House Education here said.

He said currently, India has about 20 crore children up to the age of 6 years, hence growth of school-support staff is equally important.

In order to strengthen the supporting staff in schools, funds under Right to Education should be released on time to schools to enable them to pay support staff on time.

"Changes should be made in laws, rules and regulations where women support staff take up roles of men and extend women entrepreneurship scheme benefits to support staff and women day care centre owners," Bhatia asserted.

Citing an example at his schools, Bhatia said they have started an experiment to empower women that would also serve the purpose of curbing incidents of child molestation.

"We started this as a unique experiment to empower women. Our 20 women-staffer showed they can drive LCVs and school vans. It curbs the menace of child molestation," he said, adding that the state transport department should consider revoking rules that require women drivers to get a license in three years and reduce the time period to one-and-a-half year.

Another expert, Rommel Rodrigues, editor-turned-filmmaker said there should be efforts to revive India's age-old tradition of 'gurukuls'.

"Along with the youth, we have to take a pledge to revisit the Gurukul system to educate an entire generation of Indians in at least one language," he said.

Rodrigues said he has also made a film showcasing how gurukul and Shantiniketan-style schooling (school started by Rabindranath Tagore) can help teach India.