With reference to ‘National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF)’, which of the statements given below is/are correct?

1. Under NSQF, a learner can acquire the certification for competency only through formal learning.

2. An outcome expected from the implementation of NSQF is the mobility between vocational and general education.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

The correct answer is Option 2: 2 only.

Let us analyze each statement carefully with respect to the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF):

Statement 1: "Under NSQF, a learner can acquire the certification for competency only through formal learning."

This statement is incorrect. The NSQF explicitly allows learners to acquire certification through multiple pathways — not just formal learning. A learner can gain competency certification through:

• Formal learning (e.g., school, college, university)

• Non-formal learning (e.g., vocational training institutes, skill development programs)

• Informal learning (e.g., on-the-job experience, self-learning, prior learning)

The NSQF framework provides for the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), which means a person who has acquired skills through work experience or informal means can also be assessed and certified. The word "only" in Statement 1 makes it definitively wrong, as it restricts certification exclusively to formal learning — which goes against the very spirit of NSQF.

Statement 2: "An outcome expected from the implementation of NSQF is the mobility between vocational and general education."

This statement is correct. One of the primary goals of the NSQF is to create a unified, nationally integrated qualifications framework that enables seamless movement — or mobility — between different streams of education. Specifically, NSQF is designed to:

• Allow students from vocational education and training (VET) to transition into general/mainstream education and vice versa.

• Establish equivalence between vocational qualifications and academic qualifications at various levels (Levels 1 through 10).

• Prevent the perception that vocational education is a "dead end," by creating bridges that allow learners to move horizontally and vertically across the education system.

This inter-stream mobility is a central design principle and an explicitly stated expected outcome of the NSQF, making Statement 2 fully accurate.

Conclusion: Since Statement 1 is incorrect and Statement 2 is correct, the right answer is "2 only".