Vocational trainers:- It has been 10 months since Ragini Bala* (33) received her payment. A vocational trainer in beauty and wellness at a government higher secondary school in Sriganganagar district, Bala’s monthly take-home of Rs 22,000 has been stalled since October last year.

“I have been working in this school for the last six years, but never did I receive my salary on time. I have made repeated pleas to the authorities concerned [vocational training partner], but no one hears me,” Bala says. The uncertainty has forced her to borrow money to meet the expenses of her family of four.

Around 2,500 full-time vocational trainers in the state face this plight, with average dues ranging between seven months and one year. Rohit Kumar Karsoliya (30), who teaches plumber trade in Sriganganagar's Lalgarh school, has not been paid for the last seven months. Gurvinder Singh (31) and Praveen Kumar (29) of Hanumangarh district have been awaiting payments for seven and eight months, respectively. 

Vocational education scheme was launched in government higher secondary schools of Rajasthan in 2014-15, with funds from the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, to provide employment-oriented education to children of classes 9 to 12. Under the scheme implemented with the help of National Skill Development Corporation and Sector Skill Council, vocational trainers impart skills related to 16 employment-oriented subjects, including home furnishing, agriculture, electronics and hardware, banking services, insurance, telecom, plumbing, tourism and hospitality, private security, food processing and retailing.

As the government faces issues in developing the required infrastructure in village schools, tenders are invited every year from companies willing to conduct vocational education on behalf of Rajasthan School Education Council, Jaipur. Known as vocational training partners (VTPs), these companies publish advertisements in newspapers inviting applications from eligible candidates for appointment as trainers. Selection is based on an offline exam and interview.   

The companies willing to work in as many schools and trades at the lowest rate are selected as VTPs. They arrange trainers for schools it takes charge of, monitor their work and pay them salaries. At present, 16 VTPs are functioning in Rajasthan. From the government, they get 5 to 7% of the trainers' salary as handling charge.  

The scheme aims at reducing dropout rates and making students self-reliant by reducing the gap between education and employment. However, the irony is that even the trainers offering these courses are yet to be self-reliant, thanks to the delayed payments. 

Initially launched in 70 schools in 11 districts of Rajasthan, the scheme has now reached 4,155 schools, of which about 70% are in villages. The government announced the launch of the scheme in 1,181 more schools in the last academic year and 1,050 in this academic year. Training for one or two trades is imparted in schools where the scheme runs. The number of trainers depends on the number of trades being taught.

Raghupal Singh, the patron and state president of Vocational Trainers Welfare Association, points to the reality of these announcements. "One year has passed, but vocational teachers have not been appointed in those 1,181 schools. No arrangements have been made for trainer appointments in 1,050 schools as well, though the new academic year began on July 1," he details.

“The contracts of 332 vocational trainers of healthcare trade ended on June 30 last year. They have not received new contracts so far. Similarly, contracts of 264 vocational teachers from 132 schools have ended on June 30 this year, and they have also not been rehired,” informs Singh, who works as a private security trade vocational instructor in the Government Senior Secondary School of Setrawa village in Phalodi district. His payment is pending for the last four months.

The delays in the tender process is another issue. "Every year, after the start of the new session, two to three months are gone to the tender process. Until then, children do not receive any training," Karsoliya says, while alleging vocational training partner companies of “doing nothing, yet earning a good amount as commission from the payment of each vocational trainer”. "If the government eliminates these companies, it will be beneficial for trainers, vocational education and the government,” he suggests.

Explaining the nature of their work, Bala says they do lesson planning, maintain a laboratory, create awareness among students and parents about the need for vocational training, impart theory and practical training, make daily diaries and student portfolios to evaluate children's skills and knowledge, and conduct guest lectures and industrial visits.

“Many tasks like organising on-job training, internship, skill exhibition-cum-competition and helping in job fair/placement drive are allotted to us, which we complete responsibly. Yet, we do not get our payments on time. There is no sick leave or insurance cover. Women trainers do not even have the facility of maternity leave, whereas almost half of the professional trainers are women,” Bala adds.

Vocational trainers of the state have been holding regular protests at the district headquarters, and at times at capital Jaipur. They have also been appealing to the minister and top officials of the education department for a solution.

“Our association has demanded that a separate cadre of vocational trainers be created in Rajasthan. Payments should be paid by the 10th of every month. By getting rid of the tender process, the government should accommodate us in the education department and regularise our services,” Singh says.

Rajasthan government extends vocational education scheme to more government schools, but without addressing roadblocks (Photo - Sourced by Amarpal Singh Verma, 101Reporters)

Vouching for the regularisation of vocational teachers, Rajasthan Teachers’ Association (Siyaram) state president Virendra Sharma says that the education department should include all professional teachers under its fold as done by the Haryana government, and also provide them with benefits given to regular teachers. 

“Vocational trainers hired through VTPs can be removed anytime. Healthcare trade trainers whose contracts got over last year are yet to receive the payments of several months,” he adds, while noting that there is a provision in the National Education Policy 2020 to integrate vocational education into mainstream education and teach at least one trade-related skill to every student during school education period.

Suresh Kumar Bunkar, Additional State Project Director, Vocational Education, Jaipur, tells 101Reporters that vocational trainers keep submitting memorandums regarding their demands, but the education department cannot act on them as it is a policy matter of the government.

“We have no direct connection with vocational trainers. They are affiliated to VTPs. We are developing a process to ensure that their payments are made on time,” he says.

On the tender process, Bunkar says tenders will be issued soon to fill all the vacant posts of vocational trainers. “We are trying our best to launch vocational studies this year in schools that got training approval last year and this year,” he adds.

On the issue of payments, Vipin Bishnoi, vocational coordinator, ICA Education Skills, a VTP in Rajasthan, tells 101Reporters that the company pays to trainers from its own pocket and then sends invoices to the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan office for reimbursement. "However, we do not receive payment from them for several months. When the reimbursement of an earlier invoice does not happen, we cannot make further payments to trainers," he details.

Bishnoi says payments due to ICA come to around Rs 2 crore. At present, around 300 trainers work under ICA. "VTPs in the state altogether have an estimated outstanding dues of Rs 8 to10 crore. Even yesterday, when I talked to an official of the Rajasthan School Education Council, he said the allocation has not come from the government so far," he says.

Meanwhile, Hari Krishna Arya (71), a former member of Rajasthan State Education Policy Committee, tells 101Reporters that the expected results of vocational education cannot be achieved unless there are permanent trainers. "The government should conduct vocational education on the concept of Seekho Kamao Yojana of the 1970s," he says.

Explaining about the former scheme, Arya says children were taught to make furniture, carpets and chalk under Seekho Kamao Yojana. "It was mandatory for government departments to purchase the items that children made. Some part of the income thus generated was given to the student workers as well. Not only could they earn while at school, but could also start a business after completing their education. There used to be permanent craft teachers under the scheme, which later fell prey  to corruption," he recalls.

He says vocational education was restarted in selected schools and the post of additional district education officer (vocational education) was created at the district level and vice-principal (vocational education) in schools. "However, trainers had to wait for their salaries for months together and the scheme was stopped after three to four years. The same situation arises again with this scheme." 101Reporter/SP