Education ministry extends career counselling to cluster-level schools under Samagra Shiksha

NEW DELHI: Career counselling will soon begin as early as from Class 9 in all cluster-level schools according to new guidelines from the education ministry’s department of school education and literacy.

The education ministry is extending the career guidance scheme for students in secondary and higher secondary cluster schools under which career counsellors will guide students about future choices once every 15 days. The scheme will cover schools in 7,116 existing blocks across the country.

The ministry's largest education scheme – Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) – includes provisions for a qualified counsellor along with financial support of Rs 5 lakh every year. As per the scheme, an Academic Resource Person (ARC) will be appointed to guide students with selecting the most appropriate career path after evaluating their strengths, interests, and other related variables.

Under the scheme, students will be administered aptitude tests and interest inventory to identify suitable career paths. The Academic Resource Person for career counselling can identify areas of interest and skill for each student through a variety of assessments, through TAMANNA, a tool developed by National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) for career assessment.

The ARC, as suggested by the ministry guidelines can also organise career mela by developing ties with industry or employers in the area to explore suitable placements for school graduates. The ARC can also organise group-level counselling for students in Classes 9 to 12.

Tech-enabled counselling

The scheme guidelines recommend website or app-based tools to enable students’ career exploration through real-time content management. The app or website will enable students to create profiles with career aspirations related to stream, higher education or jobs. Student will be able to check matching job opportunities, apply for relevant jobs and track application outcomes.

The website or app will also enable access to critical information on vocational education opportunities matching with student profile. It will also allow access to recommended college information like fee, rating, course, application process, scholarship information among others.

As per the government data, the scheme will benefit 2.9 crore students with a financial implication of Rs 211 crore annually for all states and union territories.

Apart from the students, the scheme also has made provisions for capacity building and training programmes for career counsellors