Negotiating Socio-Cultural Spaces: Women and Restructuring of Education by Telangana State Government in Government Degree Colleges, An Impact Evaluation of Telangana Skill Knowledge Centre (TSKC) at Government Degree College for Women (A) Begumpet, Hyder

Abstract

The New Education Policy recognizes programmes seeking to enhance and upgrade the skills of students as an Extension, the third dimension of Higher Education. As a response to concerns of equity, human rights, freedom and democracy recognizing the importance of the third dimension of Higher Education the Jawahar Knowledge Centre(JKC) project was introduced by the Commissionerate of Collegiate Education, Government of Andhra Pradesh in 2005-2006 in Government Degree Colleges(GDCs) to help enhance the employability skills and as a dependable solution to the problem of unemployability faced by students studying non-professional courses in Government Degree College of Andhra Pradesh. Jawahar Knowledge Centre(JKC) was renamed as Telangana Skill Knowledge Centre (TSKC) in 2014 after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and the formation of the new Telangana State. The TSKC was established to focus on the importance of social, economic and political investment in young women for achieving equitable and sustainable developmental outcomes for the society and nation. Widening its scope, the TSKC has been an enabling and transformative experience for women students facilitating gender equality through its objectives and outcomes. The outcome of TSKC is that it seeks ways and means to empower women students and scaffold academics with 21^st-century skills that will mould young women students to be better citizens of the nation.