Authors: Johnstone J. Lumenyera1, Sairendra Bhuyan2
Abstract: Vocational training within basic education has become strategic for developed and developing countries, particularly in providing pupils with meaningful, marketable life skills. In the twenty-first global economy, the advantages of providing vocational education from a young age to encourage innovation, entrepreneurship and solutions to practical problems are becoming more widely recognised, as is the role it plays in helping combat unemployment. This is a critical study of the challenges of vocational training in the Tanzanian and Indian national primary education systems, focusing on the gap between policy and practice. There are, however, a few important impediments to the successful adoption in both scenarios. These include teaching loads, rigid academic timetables, unqualified teachers with no vocational background and weak infrastructure and attitudes towards non-academic career options. Funding constraints in Tanzania and the decentralised governance system in India also complicate the institutionalisation of VET. This study is conducted in a comparative qualitative approach that utilises secondary data from UNESCO documents, publications produced by the education ministry and academic research, policy document analysis and literature evaluation. Both countries’ vocational education appears to have potential but is often merely talk, with structural shortcomings. The paper concludes that successful integration requires additional funding, curriculum redesign, improved teacher training, and a greater community awareness. Further, cross-country learning offers techniques and best practices for local-level curriculum design. Overall, by offering workable, context-sensitive alternatives, this study adds to the worldwide conversation on skills-based education
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20488206
