'Students should be imparted vocational education'

Madurai, Dec 6: Stressing on the need to impart vocational training to school students, a Tamil Nadu minister Saturday said this was important for acquiring jobs in the booming information communication technology (ICT) and manufacturing sectors.

"There is a need to impart professional, technical education to school students, who can get employment opportunities in the booming information communication technology (ICT) and manufacturing sectors, even if they leave out of the formal educational system for various reasons," School Education Minister Thangam Thennarasu said at an industry body Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) event.

He said over 200,000 students fail in school and a significant portion of them drop out of formal education.

"It is our vision to impart technical education to all the students at school itself. Even if a portion of the school students get dropped out, they could still find employment," he added.

Thennarasu, who was speaking at the second-edition of Southern Prosperity through Enhanced Economic Development SPEED 2008, said about 700,000 students appear for the tenth standard public examination in Tamil Nadu every year.