26 schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)  have opted for “Hospitality and Tourism” as a vocational course from the current academic session 2010-11 under a pilot project.

The CBSE had earlier this week signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to offer Hotel Management and Catering Technology courses for Class XI and XII students in its schools.

The schools that will offer the course for the present include Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 1, Gwalior and Kendriya Vidyalaya, Kamla Nagar, Ghaziabad and the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas at Ratibad (Bhopal), Dhanansu (Ludhiana), Theog (Shimla), Kherli (Dausa, Rajasthan), Pipersand (Lucknow), Gargarkote (Nainital, Uttarakhand), Kolara Kalan (Agra), Gajokar (Varanasi), Satari (Goa), Cuttack (Orissa), Hamirpur (Himachal Pradesh), Anantnag (Himachal Pradesh), Ambala, Rohtak, Panipat, Saraikela (all Haryana), Nalbari (Assam), South Sikkim and Bishnupur (Manipur).
The 26 schools that are offering the hospitality courses in classes 11 and 12 include 2 Kendriya Vidyalayas, 19 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, 2 schools of Central Tibetan School Administration and 3 schools of the Delhi Government.

The curriculum for the courses, including text books, has been designed by experts from the NCHMCT and it is understood that each school would be adopted by a designated mentor Institute of Hotel Management.

Such a step would assist schools to professionally adopt and deliver the curriculum. Joint certification on successful completion of the course will ensure industry reorganization for students who can then either enter the profession directly or take up the further course at undergraduate level, for which they will be provided due weightage.

HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said that vocational education is a means of empowerment of children through imparting skills and underlined that it will lead to inclusive education.

He also stated that the strengthening of vocational education is required in order to take advantage of the demographic dividend of the country, as a means to give a skill orientation to those passing of senior secondary school, and who are not able to go to college.

Categories: CBSE Papers, Career Guidelines, Features, News
Tags: Central Board of Secondary Education, Hospitality and Tourism, NCHMCT