Kaushal Bodh, the activity book of vocational education for Grade 8 is developed in alignment with the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.
In the NCF-SE 2023, work has been categorised under three broad forms: Work with Life Forms, Work with Machines and Materials, and Work in Human Services. The intent at this stage is to provide vocational exposure to the students through a wide range of activities categorised into three forms of work. To achieve this, students are expected to take
up nine projects across Grade 6 to 8, i.e., three projects in each grade and one from each form of work.
Curricular goals, competencies, and learning outcomes have been the guiding principles while developing the Activity Book. The following Curricular Goals (CG) given in the Activity Book cover a range of competencies.
CG-1: Develops in-depth basic skills and allied knowledge of work and their associated materials or procedures;
CG-2: Understands the place and usefulness of vocational skills and vocations in the world of work;
CG-3: Develops essential values while working across areas; and 

CG-4: Develops basic skills and allied knowledge to run and contribute to a home.
The activity book contains six illustrative projects, two for each form of work, intended to cover the above curricular goals. The choice of projects is left entirely to schools. One project may be taken up by students or preferably, the school can design other projects based onlocal considerations. The NCF-SE 2023, and indeed this activity book, encourages schools to select projects based on local considerations and availability of resources. Annexure 1 provides a template for designing a project other than those in the book.
The illustrative projects are described as follows:
Project 1 is on developing Hydroponics: Growing Plants without Soil. Students will engage in establishing and maintaining hydroponicunits in school. They will draw on their learning in Science classrooms about conditions for plant growth and extend this understanding to scientific alternatives. They will learn about environmentally friendly practices that can be used for plant propagation. 
Project 2 is on Feeding and Caring for Farm Animals. Students will engage with animals to develop sensitivity towards their well-being. They will appreciate the diversity of domesticated animals that supporthuman life. This project will enhance their observational skills related to animal behaviour and its interpretation. It will also instill a sense of care and the importance of preserving the well-being of animals.
Project 3 is on Working with Wood and Bamboo. In this project, students will explore various techniques used for working with wood and bamboo. They will learn to use tools and materials to create functional or artistic items, fostering creativity, problem-solving, and technical skills. This project will encourage innovation and creative thinking, preparing students for potential careers in design. 

Project 4 is on Home Automation. It will introduce students to the fundamentals of electronics and programming. They will learn to automate simple systems in their surroundings. This project will enhance their technological proficiency, creativity, and logical thinking.
Project 5 is on Water Audit for Water Management. Students will engage with real-life data to learn how to draw conclusions and make simple predictions. They will collect primary data using estimations based on scientific principles. They will also engage with secondary data, learning how to acknowledge sources. This project will develop sensitivity towards the needs of all as well as a sense of environmental stewardship.
Project 6 is on Advertising for Small Businesses. In this project, students will reflect on the role of advertisements in our life. They will identify elements of advertisements to understand both the marketing and ethical dimensions. They will learn about small businesses and make advertisements for them using different media. This project will develop discernment to review advertisements and other media of communication for veracity.
As the culmination of the work done through the year related to Vocational education, a Kaushal Mela will be held at the end of the year to both showcase the products students have created and the services they have learnt. It will also be an opportunity for students to share their experiences and learnings. Community members and education functionaries may be invited to the Kaushal Mela. Planning, being an important outcome of vocational education, a section is devoted to helping students plan and design the Kaushal Mela. 
Finally, annexures include a project planning template, competencies and learning outcomes to be achieved in Grade 8, suggestive projects in each of the forms of work in some detail, and mapping of learning outcomes with time required for each of the illustrative projects.
Cross-cutting themes, such as Indian Knowledge Systems, values,heritage, gender sensitivity, and inclusion have been integrated into all the projects. Reflective and thought-provoking questions included under different activities are engaging and they promote joyful learning along with assessment as and for learning. Students are provided opportunities to do different things, record small successes, take and give feedback, work with peers, try and re-try, answer-questions, reflect, in short, and experience the values related to work. Illustrations have been designed depicting the context to enhance learning. In-text questions are also included to assess comprehension of the activities. The end of the project questions given in ‘Think and Answer’ are designed to encourage critical thinking, reasoning, responding, and analysing. Students can access the additional resources provided in the Quick Response (QR) code for each project. We sincerely hope that the students will enjoy doing these projects and that these will help in developing the desired and intended competencies.