Bridging School to Career in the Workforce of the Future

At a time when much of our youth are unable to find their way in today’s economy, we need to do more to help ensure their success. Educational “equal opportunity” is often equated with the need for a four-year college degree. What it should mean is an opportunity to learn what is necessary to succeed in a chosen caree

A long cherished dream of Radhhika Sondhi to work for the Mayo College for Girls where she aims to remove the confusion amongst students in choosing an apt career option.

Talking to educationbiz.com in an exclusive interview, Radhhika Sondhi, shares her opinion regarding the importance of Counseling in changing the mindset of children in the education environment.

What role does Counseling play in Education today when the majority of students are trying to cope up with the career options available to them?

Counseling is basically two fold with Recruitment grabbing the first place while the other part is to decide that what is it that the child wants to do after school.  Everything is not right if it gets channelized only towards recruitment as many a times, the child may want to take up a career because what it fetches him/her. However there has to be a passion for studying whatever subject you want to study. Unless that passion is there, it becomes very difficult to continue for 3 years depending on the length of the study course.

·         The quality of provision in some schools in India is weak. Many schools have inadequate infrastructure, facilities and resources such as non- availability of clean drinking water, separate toilet for girl’s etc. 

·       At a time when much of our youth are unable to find their way in today’s economy, we need to do more to help ensure their success. Educational “equal opportunity” is often equated with the need for a four-year college degree. What it should mean is an opportunity to learn what is necessary to succeed in a chosen career.

Many teachers are untrained or undertrained and some of the curricula seen as irrelevant. There is no separate learning space for each class, lack of child-centred teaching-learning practices, high PTR. Many children learn little and are at risk of being silently excluded from the schooling process.

How to overcome the challenges faced in the education enviroinment?

The challenges posed to the private sector in K-12 education need to be addressed sooner as private players are seen playing an inevitable role in educating the masses of India. 

Many children drop out of school due to reasons such as remoteness of habitations with less access to schools in rural areas, poverty, gender disparities, malnutrition, etc.