The nature of education has been changing over time. Earlier, where experience and character building were kept in the center in Gurukul, the education system became books and exam based in the colonial period. Today we are again standing at a turn-where on the one hand the traditional education system is on structures like degrees, courses and board exams, on the other hand, skill-based education i.e. skill-based education is becoming increasingly popular. LinkedIn’s “Future of Skills” report 2024 states that 75% of recruits in India are now focusing on more than degrees. Companies are promoting “Skills-First Hiring”, which is changing the definition of education. Now the question is whether our education system is ready for this change?
Traditional education in India is still widely prevalent. Emphasis is given on board examinations, marks based evaluation and rattamar education in schools. This system binds students in a trend of limited thinking and answers. At the same time, the National Education Policy (NEP 2020), which came in 2020, spoke of making education more flexible, multicolored and skill -based. But according to the UDISE report till 2023, more than 70% of government schools in the country still do not have practical laboratories and only 12% of teachers have received skill-based teaching training. This means that policy is definitely made, but the ground implementation is still far behind. Traditional structure will remain until changes are brought to both teachers and students.
On the other hand, skill-based education is a model in which students are taught not only by books, but from the experience of solving real problems. Companies like Google, IBM, and TCS are now giving priority to students who have learned specialized skills from platforms like Google Career Certificates, AWS Academy or Coursera. According to a NASSCOM report 2024, 65% of young graduates in India are not ready for jobs, while those who have done skill-based courses were 45% higher. Government schemes like Skill India, PMKVY and Digital India are also carrying forward this thinking. Now education is not only “what do you remember”, but “what can you do”.
There are also some positive aspects of traditional education. It gives children early knowledge, discipline and intellectual basis. Even today traditional models are necessary for professional degrees like MBBS, Engineering, CA. But this is a problem when this structure is considered irreversible. AICTE’s 2023 report states that about 60% of engineering graduates are found technically irrelevant. The main reason for this is that they are only taught theory, but do not get skills according to the need of the industry. Therefore, it is now mandatory to update traditional education in a skill -based manner.
The nature of jobs in today’s global economy is changing rapidly. According to WEF’s Future of Jobs Report 2023, 85 million jobs will end in the coming 5 years, but at the same time 97 million new jobs will also be created -which will be completely skill -driving. It is a clear indication that skill-based education is the way of the future. In this, students go through the process of “learn, do and understand”. Project-based learning, teamwork, and technical efficiency prepares them for any challenge. This education model not only provides jobs, but also encourages entrepreneurship, independent thinking and self -reliance. This is the reason that many private universities are now making skill modules mandatory in four -year degree.
Ultimately it is clear that neither traditional education is enough nor skill -based education. Balance of both is necessary. Schools and colleges will now have to adopt a system in which students study the subject in depth on the one hand, on the other hand, use it practically. Countries like Finland, Singapore and Germany have become a global standard in education due to this mixed model. India will also have to take concrete steps in the same direction. When the student has knowledge, power to think and the skills of doing all three, then only he will not only get employment, but will also make valuable contribution to the society. This will be the true education of the future
