Give self-defence training to girls: CBSE to schools

The CBSE has asked schools to give priority to providing self-defence training to girl students and take efforts to make vocational education programme a success.

“Self-defence activities for girls are highly desirable and should be taken up on high priority. The success of the national framework of vocational education needs to get fillip from our schools with increase in numbers,” said Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry’s joint secretary and director in-charge of the CBSE Y S K Seshu Kumar.

While pitching for self-defence training to girls, he noted that “some recent incidents” had accentuated the need to ensure safety of girls.

“This is an issue which requires immediate attention. Teaching girls to defend themselves is useful to empower them,” he added.

Kumar noted that only 552 of the 17, 077 CBSE schools in India and abroad had so far adopted the vocational courses, introduced by the board, at senior secondary level (Class XI and XII), leading to coverage of 40,128 students. 

Though the number of schools adopting the vocational courses for students at secondary level (Class IX and X) remained higher than that of senior secondary level, over 15,000 schools affiliated to the board have not yet shown interest in introducing these courses so far.

“At the secondary level about 1,54,742 students are enrolled for Retail, Security, Information Technology, Automobile Technology, Travel and Tourism and Financial Market Management from 1,445 affiliated schools,” the CBSE director in-charge noted, urging the schools to give fillip to the national framework of vocational education in the best interest of students.   Seeking to encourage schools to start adopting vocational courses, Kumar said in his new year message that the board had signed a MoU with the Central Institute of Technology in Perth, Australia, and introduced skill-based courses on Music Production, Business Administration, Beauty Therapy and Design to broad base the structure.

“In another interesting development, the board has started to closely work with Indian banker’s association to implement School Bank Champ project, wherein, one bank will adopt one affiliated school and train the students of Classes IX and X in financial literacy.

The Board has also empanelled 17 Skill Knowledge Providers (industry linked organizations) for effectively assisting schools to offer the skill based courses,” he added.