BHUBANESWAR: Newly-appointed Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday took charge of office and said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will continue to set new benchmarks in integrating education with employment and making it more inclusive.
Pradhan is the first political leader from Odisha to get the key portfolio of Education in the Union Cabinet. Considered to be one of the most prestigious posts, the Ministry was once led by tall personalities like Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, MC Chagla, Humayun Kabir, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, S Nurul Hasan, Karan Singh, SB Chavan and KC Pant.
It was rechristened as Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD) after Rajiv Gandhi came to power in 1984. Former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao was the first HRD Minister. In the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi was the HRD Minister.
Participating in a virtual meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with directors of Centrally-funded technical institutions shortly after assuming office, Pradhan said the country has got a new education policy after a period of 34 years. After the introduction of National Educational Policy-2020, the education system of the country has taken a giant leap towards fostering an environment for a future-ready 21st century India.
‘Integrating education with employment’
The government is committed to make students and youth the primary stakeholders in propelling India towards an equitable knowledge society, he said. He asserted that the government will continue to set new benchmarks in integrating education with employment and make it more inclusive, holistic, multi-disciplinary and on par with global standards.
“Guided by PM Narendra Modi’s vision, we are committed to work with a forward-thinking attitude in inculcating a culture of innovation, encouraging research, entrepreneurship, incubation centres and developing futuristic solutions in higher education for an Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” he tweeted.
Pradhan emphasised that access, affordability, equity and quality will be the core values driving education policy. “The Prime Minister’s advice to focus on developing futuristic solutions in fields of education, healthcare, agriculture, defence, and cyber technologies will be the new guiding principles of my ministry,” he stated.