Mumbai: SIES College Introduce New Vocational Courses; To Make Students ‘Job Ready’

Mumbai: As the new academic year begins, the Sion-based autonomous institute SIES College of Commerce and Economics, in particular, is scrambling to put plans in place to assist the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

As a part of its NEP Implementation, SIES college has not just launched a new course-MSC in Food Technology and Nutraceuticals but also a dozen skill-based qualifications and vocational courses have been added by the college to ensure students are 'job ready' and in line with industry requirements.

Uma Shankar, Principal, SIES College told The Free Press Journal, “With the roll-out of the NEP 2020, vocational education has garnered the required spotlight. We have created a pool of four new courses in every department.”

The list of courses, according to the principal, will be made available on their website in the coming weeks. However, a few of them are: Critical thinking, Financial Security, Appreciation of Plants and Trees in the Botany Department, Statistical Technical Tools in the Science Department, and Heritage and Tourism in the History Department.

Shankar added that the arts section, along with life sciences and management courses, was more in demand for this year's admission.

As the number of subject classes for college students has increased, students have expressed concern that the timetable has drained all their energy and will have an impact on their engagement in extracurricular activities.

A first-year student at SIES College says, "The hectic schedule leaves us with no time for self-study or extracurricular activities due to a rigorous timetable."

The principal says, “These worries are unfounded because the new curriculum will be highly energizing and won't interfere with students' ability to handle their other extracurricular activities side by side.”

"Students will quickly become acquainted with the changes as they dive into the course and comprehend it," emphasised Shankar, adding that in this new academic year with NEP in place, students will have fewer actual exams and more continual evaluation in the first several months.

“Despite the fact that teachers and students are encountering a variety of issues and confusion, The institution is working feverishly to get everything under control,” she asserted.