CBSE Opens 4th National Summit on School-to-Work Transition, Puts Digital Skills and Credit Framework in Focus

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has put the spotlight on one of the toughest gaps in Indian schooling: the step from the classroom to the world of work. The board, together with the Sahodaya School Complexes of Delhi/NCR, opened the 4th National Summit on ‘Facilitating School-to-Work Transition’ in New Delhi on 26 October 2026. The two-day meet runs till 27 October.

The opening was attended by T. K. Anil Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, and Dr. Mandeep Bhandari, Chairman, CBSE, along with senior officials from the Ministry and the board.

Four priorities on the table

Addressing the gathering, the DoSEL Secretary set out four areas the summit is meant to work through:

• Technology, digital safety and skills for school learners
• Design, creativity and innovation in teaching and learning
• Recognition of skills across education systems through the National Credit Framework (NCrF)
• Career guidance with equitable pathways so that every learner can make informed choices

He called for a seamless pathway from school to higher education, skilling and employment, so that students can pursue lifelong growth and build livelihoods with dignity.

Skill education moves into the mainstream

The summit is designed to bring skill education closer to mainstream schooling. School leaders, teachers, industry experts and policymakers are discussing emerging workforce needs, new assessment approaches, digital integration in classrooms and models that strengthen vocational and skill-based learning.

Educators from CBSE-affiliated schools are also presenting case-based papers and posters on what has worked in skill education on the ground, giving peer schools practical models they can adapt.

Why it matters

NEP 2020 asks schools to break the hard walls between academic, vocational and co-curricular streams. The National Credit Framework is the plumbing that makes this real, allowing skills learnt in school to count as credits towards higher education and jobs. With digital safety and technology skills named as the first priority, the summit also signals that digital readiness is now treated as a core employability skill rather than an add-on. How quickly these ideas reach classrooms across CBSE’s network of schools will decide how far the school-to-work gap actually narrows.

Source: Ministry of Education / PIB, 26 October 2026.