Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, speaking at the USISPF India Leadership Summit 2024 in New Delhi, emphasized the transformative role of the National Education Policy (NEP) in shaping India’s future. He highlighted the NEP’s focus on preparing the country’s youth to become responsible global citizens and driving India’s demographic advantage in the coming decades.
“NEP has completed four years. It is a philosophical document to produce, to create globally responsible citizens, because India is a country of town population next three decades, that demographic dividend will be with India. For me, the primary focus of NEP 2020 is to create a vision, create confidence among the students, and develop competency. Because competency is more important than degree and certificate,” he said.
Dharmendra Pradhan projected that India would become the growth engine of the global economy within the next 20 years, thanks to NEP-led reforms in education. “NEP-led transformations are taking place in India’s education system, and their pivotal role is in transforming our young demography into future-ready, responsible global citizens. In the next two decades, India will be the growth engine of the global economy. Priority areas of NEP– integration of technology in education, encouraging learning in Indian languages, fostering a culture of research & innovation, and thrust on competencies and employability skills, places India well to reap its demographic dividend,” he said.
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“The NEP is set to have a global impact,” Pradhan asserted, underscoring India’s push to collaborate with international institutions and governments to elevate research to global standards. He added that inclusive and equitable education remains a priority, with efforts to make education accessible, affordable, and of high quality for all.
“We have to give opportunity to all our youngsters, equitable education, inclusive education, affordable education, and quality education. We are inviting foreign universities in India to open their campuses in India. Sizable Indian students are going overseas. For Speed, around a million youngsters are going to different parts of the world for higher studies,” he said.
India is also inviting foreign universities to establish campuses within the country to cater to its growing demand for higher education, as over a million Indian students currently seek education abroad.
