What is the brand value of the Indian education system abroad, it can be gauged from the fact that students studying in IITs are considered as CEOs of global level companies in future. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said this while sharing an anecdote. He says that to make India the number 1 economy, he has started the knowledge education system. The exit of other Indian Institutions including IIT Madras and IIT Delhi is the first step in this.
In fact, on July 21, at the India Today Education Conclave 2023 in New Delhi, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and India Today Group’s Editorial Director (Publication) Raj Chengappa discussed a number of issues. Many important issues were discussed in their conversation, ranging from the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to the Indian Education Model.
India will lead the knowledge base economy campaign in the 21st century
In India Today Conclave, India Today Group Editorial Director Raj Chengappa asked Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan the reason behind IITs going abroad. Responding to this, the Education Minister said that the journey of knowledge in our country is 10 thousand years old. Although it is a different matter that its presentation, packaging and communication skills… we probably could not do this in the western model. However, I do not see that day that India will lead the knowledge base economy campaign in the 21st century.
He said that we will become number 3 and then number 1 economy in the world in the coming days. Our economy model will develop from this knowledge eco system. The exit of IITs and other institutions is the beginning of this.
Let us tell you that recently in line with the National Education Policy (NEP), IIT-Delhi’s campus has been established in Abu Dhabi as a strong friendship between India and UAE along with promoting Mutual Prosperity and Global Progress. Earlier, the campus of IIT Madras was built in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
Understand branding of Indian educational institutions
Sharing an anecdote, he told that some students from UAE had come to IIT Delhi for boot camp. A minister from there also came with him. He was explaining to his students that where are you, you are in IIT Delhi, do you understand what it means, it means that all of you are CEOs of multi national companies in future. If you come to IIT Delhi, you will become CEO of global companies in the coming days. The Education Minister said that this is the branding of IIT, DU and other Indian educational institutions.
Students are committing suicide, how to handle these situations?
Talking to the Education Minister in the conclave, it was asked that if we talk about higher education including IITs, students are committing suicide, 35 students have committed suicide. How to handle situations like this. On this, he said in his answer that the student is mindless, who takes such steps, but whose responsibility is it? First of all the responsibility is mine, I accept it. As the in-charge of the education department, the biggest responsibility is on me, on my institutions, then on the society, it is the responsibility of the college that the students do not take such steps.
He further told that I called some friends from IIT and asked why this is happening. Then I was told that the student-teacher ratio of IIT is 1:10, which means there are 10 children under one teacher. If a teacher or professor has children under 10, then he can keep track of them 24×7. Although there are many arrangements to keep their news, there is counseling, in spite of this such incidents happen. Society, institutions and education administration will have to take responsibility for the students and try to keep the students tension free.
Where has the process of implementing NEP 2020 reached after two years?
Talking on National Education Policy 2020, he said that NEP will complete three years on 29 July 2023. I got this responsibility in 2021 July i.e. two years ago. After this, due to the ‘Corona period’, the progress that should have been made in its implementation could not be done. But I consider it only for three years. I believe that this has become the consensus draft of the country after talking to all the stakeholders after independence. Based on the recommendations of the NEP, three major things have happened.
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He said, ‘Education is such a vast subject that it will take some time. However, in the last two years, major changes have taken place in the ECC (Early Childhood Care) aspect, second NEP-recommended textbooks have also been developed and CBSE has taken a step towards making the education system multilingual. Students up to 12th have been given the option to study in regional languages. Third, recently, our cabinet has approved the National Research Foundation (NRF). India is about to see a paradigm shift when it comes to basic basic science research. When it comes to research, for 75 years since independence, we have been a ‘consumer economy’ but it is not that we do not understand science and technology.
He pointed to India’s success in vaccination, food safety and housing. The Education Minister said that our expenditure on education is 4.64 per cent of GDP, as our economy grows, our expenditure on this issue will increase. In the next five years, under NRF, we will spend Rs 50,000 crore on science research.