He also said that NEP 2020 has focused on promoting local language. (File image) Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday said the covid pandemic has drastically affected the lives of students who will be making important decisions for the country in the next 20 years.
Addressing the India Education Summit 2022 in the national capital, Pradhan added that it is important to address these challenges and find the right ways to help them cover this gap.
He also said that it is highly important to bridge the education gap between formal and informal education. “Approximately 35 crore Indians are under formal or informal education. To make India a superpower, it is important to skill this population involved in the education sector. Technology plays an important role in bridging the education gap,” he said.
Referring to the Ukraine crisis and the return of Indian students from abroad, Pradhan said nearly a million students go abroad to pursue higher education, but one should not worry as several international companies are settling their base in India and providing job opportunities to the millions of students still residing in India.
Talking about the highly talented youth in the tier-II and III cities as well as in rural areas, he stressed the need for skill development to help these students fly high. “We want to encourage these students to pursue their dreams of entrepreneurship, scientist, engineers by guiding and providing global solutions through NEP 2020,” he said.
“Our potential is the 53 crore youth. If they study to become employees it won’t help, they need to study to become employers,” the minister said.
Talking about the existing language barrier in the country’s education system, Pradhan said that he is a strong believer in the notion that a student’s knowledge and skills should not be limited due to the language. He gave examples of several other countries such as Japan and Germany and claimed that while people there use their local/mother language as their first language, it is only in India where English is promoted more than regional languages.
He also added that NEP 2020 has focused on promoting local languages.
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