CTEVT, Technical Education and Academic Calendar

Why Technical Education Matters

Technical human resources are essential for the country’s economic and social development. The present era is widely understood as a technological era, which clearly shows how important and necessary technical education has become.

Technical and vocational education and training help young people learn practical skills and participate in production and employment. Based on this need, institutions have been established from the basic to the higher level to produce technical human resources.

CTEVT’s Role and Responsibilities

The Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) has been working to operate, manage, regulate, maintain quality, and promote short-term and long-term technical and vocational education and training programs.

Its work focuses on:

• Producing basic and mid-level technical human resources according to labor market needs.

• Coordinating and collaborating with concerned stakeholders.

• Linking trained graduates with the labor market.

To date, CTEVT has been preparing curricula, developing trainer capacity, and working with industries, businesses, and employers to improve the quality of technical education in line with market demand.

Low Enrollment Despite High Priority

Even though the state has given high priority to technical and vocational education, student attraction towards this sector has not increased accordingly.

Data indicate that student enrollment is only around 25 percent compared to the total available capacity. On one side, the demand for technical human resources is rising. On the other, the number of students choosing technical education is declining. This imbalance indicates that there are gaps in existing policies and institutional arrangements.

The government has aimed to:

• Establish institutional access to technical schools in every local level.

• Increase the reach of technical education to 70 percent of the population by the end of the Sixteenth Periodic Plan.

However, even the currently available seats are not fully occupied. This suggests that the set goals may not be achieved and that the return on current investments may remain limited.

Policy and Institutional Gaps

Several policy and institutional issues are visible in this situation.

CTEVT, which has been operating at the federal level, has not yet been restructured in a way that effectively coordinates with provincial and local levels to jointly prepare technical human resources.

At the federal level, multiple ministries run technical and vocational education and training programs. Provinces and local levels have also started establishing their own structures and implementing programs in their own way.

As a result:

• There is duplication of programs and resources.

• Students and parents find it difficult to clearly identify which institution’s certificates have better recognition and offer clearer employment prospects.

Limited Workplace Learning and Industry Linkages

Workplace-based learning has not been effectively ensured in many technical and vocational programs. The involvement of industrialists, businesses, and employers in these programs remains limited.

Because of this:

• Required technical human resources in specific fields and levels, as demanded by employers, are not being produced adequately.

• Skills and attitudes needed to become entrepreneurs, based on market needs, are not being sufficiently developed.

Key reasons include:

• Inadequate physical and academic infrastructure as per minimum standards.

• Delays in updating curricula in line with current needs.

• Limited use of technology in teaching and learning.

• Weak emphasis on practical components in the evaluation system.

• Lack of regular and effective monitoring.

Academic Calendar: A Core Problem Area

One major reason for low student preference is the weak implementation of the academic calendar.

Common problems include:

• Enrollment not completed within the defined timeframe.

• Classes not starting on time.

• Prescribed courses not completed within schedule.

• Delays in conducting examinations.

• Delays in publishing results and distributing certificates.

These directly affect the credibility and reliability of technical and vocational education.

What the Academic Calendar Means

The academic calendar is the time plan prepared to ensure that all educational activities of an institution are carried out effectively within a fixed period.

It generally includes:

• Timeframe for student enrollment.

• Schedule for regular teaching and learning.

• Examination and evaluation dates.

• Result publication schedule.

• Timeline for distribution of academic certificates.

Based on the academic calendar prepared by the Examination Control Office, each institution is expected to prepare its own institutional plan, including academic and additional activities such as:

• Regular classes

• Official holidays

• Practical exercises and assignments

• Field visits

• Community health or outreach activities

• Internal assessments

• Semester and annual examinations

Work-based training and internship activities specified in the curriculum must also be included in the academic calendar.

In addition, institutions are expected to plan:

• Sports week

• Trainee enrollment campaigns

• Community-level technical and vocational education programs

• Interaction programs with stakeholders

A clear and applied academic calendar helps institutions run activities on time, develops a sense of punctuality and discipline among students and teachers, and strengthens relationships with communities, industries, employers, and other stakeholders.

Enrollment Guidelines and Implementation Shortfalls

To ensure timely enrollment, examinations, results, and certification, the CTEVT Examination Control Office has prepared admission guidelines that incorporate the enrollment calendar.

These guidelines aim to:

• Ensure that institutions deliver the skills and knowledge specified in the curriculum.

• Conduct examinations on time.

• Publish results within the scheduled period.

• Complete certificate distribution in an organized manner.

The guidelines also include provisions for online application forms to support transparency and wider access.

In previous years, entrance examinations for different programs were conducted multiple times. Student selection has now been consolidated into a single process, making participation more convenient.

However, all provisions of the calendar and guidelines have not yet been fully implemented. As long as the academic calendar is not properly enforced, the existing problems in technical education are likely to continue.

Responsibility of CTEVT and the Way Forward

CTEVT has the responsibility to identify priority sectors for national prosperity and development and to produce the technical human resources required for those sectors. The government has placed high importance on this responsibility.

Despite this, students’ attraction towards technical education has not increased as expected. Key reasons include:

• Delays in completing the admission process.

• Late commencement of classes.

• Failure to complete prescribed courses on time.

• Weak management of examinations, result publication, and certificate distribution.

In response, CTEVT needs to take the initiative, with the participation of concerned stakeholders, to fully implement the trainee admission guidelines and academic calendar prepared for the upcoming academic session.

If effectively implemented, this will:

• Assure students and parents that studies will be completed within the specified timeframe.

• Make institutions, staff, trainers, and management more accountable for their responsibilities.

• Enable CTEVT to further strengthen timely and necessary reforms in technical and vocational education.