Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, at a media session after attending a radio programme today (July 17):
Reporter: Ms Choi, can you explain how Hong Kong can strengthen national education given President Xi’s remarks? And some people may amount that to brainwashing. Do you actually agree with that?
Secretary for Education: National education is always a very important area that we have to work for. For example, we will update our curriculum, enhance our learning and teaching materials, (provide) more teacher professional training and more activities for our students to have knowledge about our country from different perspectives. I don’t think it is a brainwashing element.
Reporter: Can you explain why there is no such (brainwashing)?
Secretary for Education: They have life-wide learning experiences, first-hand information that they collect. They can have reflections after their learning. I don’t think that it is brainwashing.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Union Minister for Education and Skill Development Shri Dharmendra Pradhan today inaugurated the state-of-the-art facilities, laid the foundation stone for BVRSCIENT & witnessed a landmark MoU for the first-of-its-kind Greenko School of Sustainable Science & Technology at IIT Hyderabad.
Delegates from Japan, BoG Chairman Dr BVR Mohan Reddy; Mr SAITO Mitsunori, Chief Representative, JICA, Mr Anil Kumar Chalamalasetty, Chief Executive and Managing Director, Greenko Group; Mr OP Bhatt, Independent Director and Chairman of Board of Directors of Greenko; Prof BS Murty Director, Deans, HoDs, Faculty, Staff & Students of IIT Hyderabad also attended the event.
The infrastructure inaugurated today is a part of the campus development project under the broader India-Japan collaboration through the JICA. On this occasion, IITH has also exchanged an MoU with English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) to get support to meander students to accustomed to the foreign languages to be prepared for upcoming global opportunities on the way via various UG & PG programs at IITH with eminent global academic & industrial partners.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Pradhan said that India is going to play a leading role in the fourth industrial revolution and IIT Hyderabad will play a major role in building brand India globally and in carving out a better and prosperous future, especially during the AmritKaal. We have to fulfil Prime Minister’s vision of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat, he added.
The Minister further said that India cannot be just a consuming nation. We have to innovate and establish our own models for achieving self-sufficiency as well as for furthering global welfare. He urged IIT Hyderabad to redefine its role to fulfil societal needs and also to provide affordable global solutions.
The Minister stated that NEP 2020 is a roadmap to situate India among the top in the new emerging world order. He suggested that IIT Hyderabad must endeavour to provide education & skilling in frontier areas, encourage risk taking, transform job-seekers into job-creators and establish new parameters of excellence.
He said that skilling is a lifelong process and NEP 2020 emphasises on integrating skill development into education system. He suggested IIT Hyderabad and experts from the industry to establish a world-class skill development centre at IITH for harnessing IR 4.0 & 21st century job markets. He expressed his confidence that IITH with its thrust on research and innovation will be a role model for emerging and global economies. The Minister thanked Mr BVR Mohan Reddy from Cyient & Mr Anil Chalamasetty from Greenko for taking responsibility and donating generously for strengthening research activities at IITH and also for placing the institute at the forefront of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Dr BVR Mohan Reddy said that both Entrepreneurship & Climate Change are dear to Minister of Education and it is gratifying to have him on the occasion today. He applauded the steps taken by Ministry of Education towards implementing NEP 2020. He expressed his confidence that world-class facilities at IITH will help in realizing the visionary Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s dream of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat.
Expressing delight on occasion, Prof B S Murty that today we are witnessing the uniqueness of IITH, be it Innovation Park, Research Centre & foundation for upcoming school for innovation & Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Science and Technology. We look forward to continued guidance and support from the ministry to ensure IITH does its best in the field of Innovation, he added.
Brief about the event highlights:
1. Signing of MoU between IITH and Greenko for setting up of Greenko School of Sustainable Science and Technology (GSSST):
Greenko, India’s leading energy transition and industrial decarbonization solutions company, and IIT Hyderabad signed an MoU to launch India’s first dedicated school for sustainable science and technology. The Greenko School of Sustainable Science and Technology (GSSST) aims to plug the rising research, education, and skills gaps caused by the imperatives of sustainable development. The school will be advancing knowledge in these key thrust areas:
Climate Change Mitigation
AI & Space Technology
Energy Transition & Industrial Transformation
Circular & Regenerative Economy
ZeroC processes, fuels, materials, and products
Industrial Ecology and Net Zero Clusters
GSSST will open towards the end of this year and, by June 2023, will induct students for MTech and Ph.D. in sustainable science and technology, followed by BTech programs. The experience gained at GSSST will be replicated at other IITs, engineering colleges, and later at polytechnics and schools. This joint initiative demonstrates the national educational establishment’s endorsement of Greenko’s pioneering initiative to accelerate R&D and contextualize education and skills for sustainable development. Greenko is working in consultation with the Ministry of Education, AICTE, NCERT, and NCVET to ensure GSSST both conforms to and advances learning in sustainable science and technology.
2. Foundation Stone Laying ceremony for the BVR Mohan Reddy School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship:
The school is the first of its kind initiative in collaboration with IIT Hyderabad (IITH) by Cyient Foundation (the CSR arm of Cyient Ltd.) and Shibodhi Foundation (the family foundation of Dr. BVR Mohan Reddy). This initiative aims to nurture and develop world-class innovation and entrepreneurial talent from India in the light of the country’s ambition to become Aatma Nirbhar Bharat. The School will offer a wide range of courses, including Bachelors, Masters, Executive Education, PhD programs, and Certification courses consistent with NEP 2020 and envisions providing the best-in-class academic training and creating an enabling ecosystem to nurture economically and socially impactful techno-entrepreneurial ventures.
3. Inauguration of Technology Innovation Park (TIP):
The TIP building, with a total built-up area of 14313 sqm, consisting of 11 blocks with a G+5 structure, is ready to support the incubation activity at IITH. The motto of IIT Hyderabad is Inventing and Innovating in Technology for Humanity (IITH). The Incubation ecosystem of IITH aims at nurturing ideas and innovations into viable technological and business ventures. The establishment of TIP is a major step forward in strengthening the incubation ecosystem of IITH. To date, IITH has incubated more than 100+ startups and sanctioned more than Rs. 5 crores to startups directly while supporting the startups in raising more than Rs. 50 crores from external sources. So far, the IITH startups have generated more than Rs. 100 crores of revenues and created 800+ jobs.
4. Inauguration of Research Centre Complex (RCC):
The Research Centre Complex (RCC) is a five-storied (G+4) building with an interesting oval shape. The total plinth area of the building is 12,325 Sqm. The objective of the RCC is to house sophisticated labs with high-end research equipment. This building is a part of the JICA collaborative project, which has funded both construction and some of the research equipment. The RCC constitutes 48 labs in total, out of which 16 are wet labs, 20 dry labs, and 2 mega labs on the ground floor with double ceiling height. An animal house is also proposed to be set up in the RCC building to carry out high-end research related to the Biotech/biomedical field.
National School Education Ministers Conference commenced today in Gujarat. Union Ministers of Education and Skill Development and Education Ministers of State Governments are participating in the conference.
On the side-lines of the conference, Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan along with Education Ministers of States/UTs, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MoS Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Electronics & Information Technology; Smt. Annapurna Devi, MoS for Education; Dr. Subhas Sarkar, MoS for Education and senior officials of Ministry of Education visited Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK), Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG), National Forensic Science University (NFSU) and International Automobile Centre of Excellence (iACE).
Participants visited the Vidya Samiksha Kendra in Gandhinagar with Education Ministers and representatives of various states and UTs. Speaking about VSK, Shri Pradhan said that it is a nerve-centre for technology-enabled learning in Gujarat. He also lauded VSKs AI & data-driven approach that has given a boost to enrolments & participation, and improved learning outcomes. To achieve the goal of enhanced learning outcomes across India, Shri Pradhan encouraged the Government of Gujarat to organise workshops for sharing best practices in governance & technology-enabled learning.
Participants visited BISAG-N studios and other technical facilities and witnessed the works being done there towards improving the learning outcomes of children. The visit aimed to orient stakeholders on various aspects and role of BISAG-N in telecast of eContents and use of geo informatics in education and other sectors and bridging the digital divide.
Dr. T.P. Singh, Director General, BISAG-N, MeitY at Gandhinagar, Gujarat explained different activities undertaken by BISAG-N – supporting telecast of eContents through 51 channels including 34 channels for Ministry of Education (School, Higher and Technical) Government of India under SWAYAM Prabha and PMeVIDYA DTH TV Channels (one class, one channel).
Dr. Singh reiterated the democratic vision behind launch of 12 PMeVIDYA DTH TV channels and expansion of these channels to 200 more, for making quality eContent available to all. Dr. Singh suggested creation of eContent focusing on local languages, knowledge, various subjects, skill development, culture, environment, coaching for competitive exams etc. keeping in-line with the recommendations of National Education Policy (NEP) -2020.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Pradhan called for a collaborative approach among all stakeholders for developing quality e-content for all classes from Balvatika to Class 12, including in local languages. He also encouraged BISAG-N to use its facility for developing innovative audio-visual content to boost learning.
Participants also visited the National Forensic Sciences University. After the visit, Shri Pradhan said, it is the first, one-of-a-kind and only super-specialised forensic university in the world. A pride of Gujarat and India, the NFSU is an institution of national importance which is creating a pool of trained professionals & fulfilling the demand of cyber defence and next-gen intelligence experts, he added. Shri Pradhan called for convergence between NFSU & Ministry for Skill Development for skilling and up-skilling in digital forensics and other inter-disciplinary areas.
Later in a day, participants visited international Automobile Centre for Excellence. It Is one-of-its-kind institute in Gandhinagar catering to end-to-end skill development, training and research needs of the Indian automobile industry. Speaking on the occasion Shri Pradhan said that joint venture between Government of Gujarat and Maruti, iACE is a wonderful example of industry-academia collaboration, blended & employment-oriented learning. He suggested NCVET to evolve ways to provide degree equivalence to skill training programs conducted there.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan attends roundtable on implementing National Education Policy at Symbiosis International University at Pune today.
Speaking on the occasion Shri Pradhan said that National Education Policy 2020 is a knowledge document of the 21st century. It aims to promote all-round development of an individual and aims to make education accessible to everyone, he added. He said India has become the epicenter of knowledge based economy and our contribution to the global economy is significant.
The Minister stressed that our academic fraternity have a big role to play in ensuring a rightful place for India in the new world. Ubiquity of technology and digital economies have made the world a small village. Today we are at the crossroads of an emerging new global order. How well we harmonise with technology and automation, acquire new skills will define our readiness for the future of work as well as for a leadership role in the emerging new global order. There is a huge opportunity for all of us here, especially for our academic community, he added.
Shri Pradhan highlighted that our education system had been rigid in the past. Multi-disciplinary and holistic education was a challenge but NEP2020 has made it possible to make our teaching and learning more vibrant, inclusive, flexible and multi-disciplinary, he added.
Shri Pradhan said that in the last 75 years, we have been assertive and conscious about our ‘rights’ and now is the time to walk on the path of ‘duties.’ There can be no one better than our teachers’ to drive home this point and shift the focus on performing duties and fulfilling responsibilities, he added.
He further said that online education is the new reality and teaching fraternity must build new academic dynamics & come forward for developing quality e-learning content, developing SOPs to ensure online learning is not limited to exploitative market forces and protecting against data imperialism.
Thr Minister urged that to create global citizens and meet global expectations in line with the NEP 2020, our academic institutions must also ensure that they become ‘instruments of knowledge and empowerment’ rather than being ‘instruments of materialistic expectations’.
Ministry of Education will be releasing a detailed report on Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2020-21 on school education of India.
The UDISE+ system of online data collection from the schools was developed by Department of School Education & Literacy in the year 2018-19 to overcome the issues related to erstwhile practice of manual data filling in paper format and subsequent feeding on computer at the block or district level in the UDISE data collection system since 2012-13.
In UDISE+ system, improvements have been made particularly in the areas related to data capture, data mapping and data verification.
Students and Teachers in schools:
In 2020-21 total students enrolled in school education from primary to higher secondary stood at 25.38 crore. There is an increase of 28.32 lakh enrolments as compared to the 25.10 crore enrolment in 2019-20.
Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) which measure the general level of participation has improved in 2020-21 at all levels of school education compared to 2019-20. Level wise GER in 2020-21 as compared to 2019-20 are: 92.2% from 89.7% in upper primary, 99.1 % from 97.8% in elementary, 79.8% from 77.9% in secondary and 53.8% from 51.4% in higher secondary respectively.
96.96 lakh teachers are engaged in school education during 2020-21. This is higher by about 8800 in comparison with number of teacher in school education in 2019-20.
In 2020-21 the Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) stood at 26 for primary, 19 for upper primary, 18 for secondary and 26 for higher secondary, showing an improvement since 2018-19. The PTR for primary, upper primary, secondary and higher secondary was 28, 20, 21, and 30respectively during 2018-19.
In 2020-21 over 12.2 crore girls are enrolled in primary to higher secondary showing an increase of 11.8 lakh girls compared to the enrolment of girls in 2019-20.
Non-teaching staffs
The number of non-teaching staffs has also improved over the years. Total non teaching staffs during 2020-21 stood at 15.8 lakh as compared to 12.37 lakhs in 2018-19. Among, the non-teaching staffs, number of accountants, library assistants, laboratory assistants, head clerks, LDC/UDC staffs has grown from 5.79 lakh to 7.8 lakh by adding 2.05 lakh from 2018-19 to 2020-21.
School Infrastructure:
Schools with functional electricity have made impressive progress during 2020-21 with net addition of 57,799 schools provided electricity. Now 84% of the total schools have functional electricity facility in comparison with 73.85% in 2018-19 showing remarkable improvement of 10.15% during the period.
Percentage of the schools with functional drinking water has increased to 95.2 % in 2020-21 from 93.7 % in 2019-20.
Percentage of the school with functional girl’s toilet facility has increased to 93.91 % in 2020-21 in comparison with 93.2 % in 2019-20 by adding the facility in additional 11,933 schools during the year.
Percentage of schools with hand wash facilities has also improved during 2020-21 and now stands at 91.9 % as compared to 90.2 % in 2019-20.
Number of schools having functional computers increased to 6 lakh in 2020-21 from 5.5 lakh in 2019-20 showing an increasing of 3 %. Now, 40% of the schools have functional computers.
Number of schools having internet facility increased to 3.7 lakh in 2020-21 from 3.36 lakh in 2019-20 with an increase of 2.6%.
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on enrolment:
During 2020-21, 39.7 lakh students of government aided, private school students shifted to Government schools
