Measuring Quality in Indian VET Institutions: Development Steps Towards a Framework Adapted to the National Context

Abstract

Purpose: Purpose: The quality of vocational education and training (VET) processes plays an important role in international education policies and research. In India, issues of quality came into focus in recent years due to an increased demand for skilled workers, and continuing challenges in the area of quality of VET. Existing quality assurance mechanisms of VET in India are characterised by a lack of comprehensiveness and uniform standards. This paper addresses the contextualised development of an Indian-specific approach for quality measurement. It centres on following research question: Which quality areas, criteria and related indicators are of relevance for measuring quality comprehensively? Approach: Design-based research substantiates the research objective, which is to develop a model that is theoretically and technically sound, as well as adapted to the national context. The question of how to create "cultural-fit" was essential for the research process illustrated in this paper. Starting point for the development of the approach was to build a structured review, and following analysis, with reference to existing models and approaches to quality management. The initial search examined national and international academic sources for quality management in business and education, as well as governmental sources for quality management strategies in VET. A significant number of models were selected, based on inclusion criteria, and these models were aggregated to provide a source for a first own conception of an approach. Results: Quality dimensions and criteria were collected and identified with reference to distribution across models. In total, seven major quality areas are identified, namely Institutional Sphere and Context; Personnel; Educational Planning, Provision and Assessment; Learning and Teaching; Leadership and School Management; Industry Linkage and Learner Achievements. In addition, 40 quality criteria are determined under these major quality fields, and relevant quantitative and qualitative sub-indicators for measurement are derived. Conclusion: The actual results will be a basis for the following pilot-based implementation in India. The model can provide meaningful feedback and data-based recommendations for continuous improvement of the Indian VET system and may furthermore provide for a reflected and contextually adapted implementation in other countries.

Theory and Practice of Teaching and Learning in the Classroom – Lessons from Indian Industrial Training Institutes

“…The observations show, that the pupil-teacher-ratio is between 15 and 35 pupils per class, and therefore quite suitable for methods such as group work, which would enable an exchange among the pupils and an independent construction of knowledge, skills and competencies. However, these possibilities are not taken advantage of: the learning environment in the ITIs makes it explicitly clear that the infrastructure is not designed for student-centred learning, which is in line with the results from the other categories considered and other findings (Ramasamy et al, 2021;Tara et al, 2016). The results described in "Results and Discussion" section relate strongly to the observed ITIs in Delhi, Coimbatore and Mumbai.…”

“…The way VET is perceived depends on the individual's environment, which is influenced by religious affiliations, historical as well as cultural influences such as India's caste system. Given the sensitive colonial history, care must be taken not to merely replace old approaches with new international approaches without paying attention to local conditions and needs (Ramasamy et al, 2021). Here, the Indian government in particular must proceed with caution, as many approaches introduced in the past were not sustainable and the will to invest in TVET was not strong enough (Schneider & Pilz, 2019).…”

Ownership in international vocational education and training transfer: The example of quality development in India

“…As part of the higher education sector, polytechnic colleges were administered by the Ministry of Education until recently. However, in the context of several restructuring activities under the National Education Policy 2020 (MoE, 2020b), responsibilities shifted to the Ministry of Human Resource Development and Entrepreneurship (Ramasamy et al, 2021), which did lately administer vocational training activities under the CTS only. However, both institutions' quality assurance and certification processes are still operated under different authorities and programmes.…”

“…Quality management as part of school development, in the sense of a self‐directed, systematic, and diagnosis‐based process, is currently not formally anchored in the Indian VET system (Ramasamy et al, 2021). The approach illustrated here has been designed to offer a possible means for institutional quality development in India and targets to address challenges in significant areas of educational quality at the institutional level.…”

“…For further information on content, structure, and the development process of the framework, please refer toRamasamy et al (2021), as a more detailed description would extend the scope of this paper.…”