Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan praised Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s G20 leadership, which included democratizing the group by including the African Union. Pradhan emphasized key educational priorities like literacy, tech-enabled learning, lifelong education, and research collaboration. He also endorsed India’s National Education Policy 2020.
The Education Minister stressed the significance of human capital development, inclusive education, and lifelong learning. He highlighted the importance of digital technologies in education and the need for skills development. Collaboration in research and innovation among higher education institutions was emphasized.
Pradhan also mentioned India’s active research collaborations with countries like the USA and the promotion of multi-institutional education partnerships. In the skill sector, the focus is on setting international standards, facilitating skills-based migration, and monitoring global skill gaps through agreed-upon indicators.
Shri Pradhan highlighted active research collaborations with various countries, including initiatives like the India-U.S. Global Challenges Institute, established through MoUs between the Council of Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT Council) and the Association of American Universities (AAU). These collaborations aim to advance science and technology in areas such as sustainable energy, agriculture, health, semiconductor technology, advanced materials, telecommunications, artificial intelligence, and quantum science. Additionally, numerous multi-institutional partnerships have emerged, such as those between New York University-Tandon and IIT Kanpur Advanced Research Center, Joint Research Centers of the State University of New York at Buffalo and Indian Institutes of Technology in Delhi, Kanpur, Jodhpur, and BHU. Similar university-level collaborations with countries like Australia, UAE, Taiwan, the UK, and others are being explored across critical areas.
Overall, India’s G20 presidency has provided a platform for advancing its education priorities and fostering collaboration among member countries to address global challenges in education and skill development.