A day after the reshuffle of the Union Cabinet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, 8 July, began work with the new batch of ministers and initiated the move with directors of centrally funded technical institutions, like IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, and IISc Bangalore.
Education Minster Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of State for Education Annapurna Devi were present during the interaction via video conferencing, in which Modi lauded the research and development work done by these institutions towards meeting the challenges posed by the ongoing COVID pandemic.
Modi also stressed on the need to adapt higher education and technical education to keep in tune with the changing environment and emerging challenges.
"This requires the institutions to reinvent and re-evaluate themselves, develop alternative and innovative models in accordance with the present and future needs of the country and society."Prime Minister Narendra Modi
After the meeting, PM Modi tweeted stating "Had an enriching interaction with Directors of leading IITs and @iiscbangalore during which we exchanged thoughts on a wide range of subjects including making India a hub for R&D, innovation and popularising science among the youth."
'Prepare Youth for Continuous Disruptions and Changes': PM Modi
The Prime Minister stressed that Indian higher education and technical institutes need to prepare the youth for continuous disruptions and changes, keeping in mind the fourth industrial revolution.
He underlined the need to progress towards education models that are flexible, seamless, and able to provide learning opportunities as per the requirements of the learners. He added that access, affordability, equity, and quality should be the core values of such education models.
PM Modi also highlighted that digitisation of higher education can play a big role in increasing (Gross Enrollment Ratio) GER, and students will have easier access to good quality and affordable education.
Need Affordable, Personalised AI-Driven Education: PM Modi
PM Modi said that 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan' will form the basis of dreams and aspirations of India in the coming 25 years when we celebrate 100 years of Independence. He added that technological, R&D institutions will play a major role in the upcoming decade, which is also being called as "India's Techade".
He further urged to focus on developing futuristic solutions in fields of education, healthcare, agriculture, defense, and cyber technologies.
PM Modi also highlighted the need to focus on affordable, personalised, and AI-driven education.
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