How can Kaushal Bodh fix India's Skilling gap?

Kaushal Bodh aims to create awareness in the middle school; the real test will be whether Composite Skill Labs envisaged in Classes 9 to 12 carry that awareness into job-ready capability, e.g. in domain of coding, robotics, AI, data science, IoT, cyber security, etc.

CBSE's Kaushal Bodh ("skill awareness") is a genuinely promising beginning to fix India’s skilling gap at a foundational level. Mandatory for Classes - 6 to 8 starting 2025-26, it moves 110 hours a year away from rote learning into hands-on projects and includes farm visits, practical coding basics, financial literacy, first aid lessons, etc. Learning outcome is assessed largely on practical work rather than exams. That is a structural shift, not a token add-on. 

But will it alone boost employability potential of India’s youth? The answer is - unlikely, on its own. Kaushal Bodh aims to create awareness in the middle school; the real test will be whether Composite Skill Labs envisaged in Classes 9 to 12 carry that awareness into job-ready capability, e.g. in domain of coding, robotics, AI, data science, IoT, cyber security, etc. Continuity between the two stages, not either program in isolation, is what will actually matter. 

To ensure this continuity towards employability, 3 factors beyond Kaushal Bodh will be critical: 

(i) Availability of trained teachers who can actually run practical modules (not just supervise textbooks), 

 (ii) Industry partnerships so skill labs stay current with real market needs, and (iii) Rural-urban equity in infrastructure so village schools are not left with awareness but no equipment or teaching talent. 

The most noteworthy aspect of Kaushal Bodh is its 80% weightage on practical assessment, a rare instance of CBSE putting its focus where the "skilling" demand is. If this discipline carries through to senior grades, Kaushal Bodh could become the foundation layer of something genuinely transformative. But, availability of trained teachers can be a challenge in the short run. CBSE itself seems to recognise this teacher gap, especially in government schools where staff often lack hands-on exposure to new-age technology like AI, ML and robotics. That is why CBSE has opened door to third-party collaborations to deliver this crucial piece of the curriculum. 

Gensmart, with its focus on age-appropriate ways to teach school children emerging technologies like AI, IOT and robotics, is exactly the specialist partner that can help schools bridge this gap without waiting for development of their own expertise overnight. - 

Dr. Sandeep Dash