The National Education Ministers' Conference began on Wednesday, June 1 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Addressing this two-day conference, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that the Centre was planning to set up PM Shri Schools. These schools will be aimed at preparing the students for the future and will be the laboratory of the new National Education Policy (NEP), as per a PTI report.
"School education is the foundation on which India will become a knowledge-based economy. We are in the process of establishing PM Shri schools which will be fully equipped to prepare students for the future. These state-of-the-art schools will be the laboratory of NEP 2020. We cannot deprive our new generation of 21st-century knowledge and skills. I also encourage and solicit suggestions and feedback from all our states and UTs and the entire education ecosystem for creating a futuristic benchmark model in the form of PM Shri schools," the Union Education Minister said.
"The next 25 years are crucial to establish India as a knowledge economy that is committed to global welfare. We all have to collaboratively work together, learn from each other's experiences and successes to make learning more vibrant and take India to greater heights. I encourage Education Ministers of all states and Union Territories and also seek active participation from all stakeholders for developing our National Curriculum Framework as well as developing quality e-content for expanding the reach of digital education and for universalising education," he added, as reported by PTI.
"The education fraternity can immensely benefit from models of Karnataka, Odisha, Delhi, Meghalaya, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Haryana. Today, at a time when we are celebrating Amrit Mahotsav, the National Achievement Survey 2021 has instilled confidence and has reaffirmed the sincere efforts of all our states and Union Territories in improving learning outcomes and in further strengthening access to quality education. Experience and knowledge sharing from all state Education Ministers and a structured and outcome-based discussion at the conference today will lead us one step further towards transforming our learning landscape, in line with the NEP 2020," Pradhan said.
"As we prepare for the opportunities and challenges of the 21st century, we must leverage technology to strengthen our education and skilling ecosystem. Yesterday during our visits, we all got a glimpse of various dimensions of 21st-century futuristic education systems. From education being an exclusive responsibility of states to education becoming a part of the concurrent list, our education system has witnessed many reforms. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan launched by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2001, Samagra Shiksha and other reforms have positively impacted education," he said further.
The conference focussed on the steps for implementing the NEP and strengthening the education ecosystem. Skilling initiatives in schools and digital initiatives like NDEAR and NETF were also discussed during the event.
The Minister said that the 5+3+3+4 approach of the NEP covers pre-school to secondary school, emphasis on the Early Childhood Care and Education Programme (ECCE), teacher training and adult education, integration of skill development with school education and prioritising learning in the mother tongue were the steps for preparing global citizens of the 21st century, as stated by PTI. He also said that best practices in education coming from different states and Union Territories will act as a cumulative force in transforming India's youth as 'Vishwa-Manavs' (global citizens).
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Electronics and Information Technology; Ministers of State for Education Annapurna Devi and Subhash Sarkar; education ministers of states and UTs and senior officials of the Education Ministry were also present at the meeting.
