Why in news?

A comprehensive report titled ‘21 st Century Skills in India; State of the Sector Report 2022” brought out by Mysuru-headquartered Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement (GRAAM) under UNICEF’s YuWaah project was released in New Delhi.

Highlights:

• The report helps build a collective understanding on the India-centered assessments and interventions of 21 st century skills.
• The report talks about the significance of 21 st century skills, state of the policy on such skills in India and in-depth landscape analysis of organisations imparting them, followed by noting the challenges faced in the implementation of the new age skills, best practices and opportunities

The need for the report

• The 21 st century skills is a complex and fragmented space with multiple terminologies, definitions, content frameworks and players. Therefore, to systematically study, map and analyse the space to promote a coherent understanding of the status of this sector, UNICEF commissioned the writing of the State of the Sector Report on 21 st century skills in India to GRAAM.

About GRAAM

• Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement (GRAAM) is a development research and policy engagement initiative in India. GRAAM’s extensive expertise spans over policy research, Impact Assessment and Evaluation, Community Consultation, Policy Engagement, Strategic Consultation and Academic Programs. GRAAM works in collaboration with all the four key stakeholders of development i.e. Government, Citizenry, Civil Society Organizations and Corporate. GRAAM believes that the key stakeholders of development – the community, the State, the NGO/CSO and the private sector are essential in the process of development. GRAAM aims to ensure the ‘voices’ of the communities at the grassroots are significantly accounted for in the process of development.

About UNICEF’s YuWaah project

• The India chapter of Generation Unlimited – YuWaah – was born in 2019. At the core of YuWaah is the willingness and capacity to meaningfully engage and listen to young people’s needs, ideas and aspirations.
• By focusing on engagement, learning, skill development and employment of young people, YuWaah aims to support a generation of empowered, young change makers in India. Envisaged as a strategic, long-term initiative, YuWaah will serve as the much-needed bridge between solution providers, private sector, Government of India, academia and civil society organizations to fund and scale-up innovative and effective solutions.