Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on Wednesday that India needs to focus on connecting the Indian market to innovation, and putting competency ahead of degrees. This would make the country more self-reliant, and become one of the leading economies. He was addressing the annual summit of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
In the upcoming days, a new curriculum must be developed to prepare the youth for the opportunities that abound in the booming digital, technological and innovative sectors. The new National Education Policy (NEP) will come in handy in this regard, Pradhan said. He suggested that India should combine innovation with its market to brand its technology, and must trust the strength of the youth and the intellectual capabilities of the country.
The minister noted that the NEP stresses on skills and schooling. It advocates the incorporation of vocational and skill studies into the education from the sixth grade onwards. He urged the government and market stakeholders to be better linked to each other in order to attain degree to competency paradigm shift. With quality education, skill improvement and financial empowerment, India is becoming a preferred destination, he said.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is a national organization, headquartered in Delhi and having members cutting across industries and groups. It works to create and sustain an environment conducive to the development of India, partnering industry, government and civil society, through advisory and consultative processes. CII strives to make Indian corporate more competitive to meet the global challenges.
