Dharmendra Pradhan appointed as India’s new Minister of Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

In the cabinet reshuffle, former Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel, Dharmendra Pradhan has been appointed as the new Minister of Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. 

Team NSN heartily welcomes the new Minister of Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. We are extremely delighted with the government’s move to bring skill development and education together under one Ministry to facilitate the implementation of NEP 2020.

We at NSN have always envisioned that vocational education and training must be made an integral part of mainstream education.

The Ministry of skill and development and the Ministry of Education are two crucial ministries for the youth of our country which should work in unison to achieve a common objective of getting skill-based education on track.

On the occasion, Dharmendra Pradhan said, “I am committed to strengthen the skilling efforts of the ministry and equipping the youth with necessary skills to prepare them for Future of Work, and creating linkages between skilling and employment.”

With an aim to bridge the gap between education and employment, Dharmendra Pradhan launched many skill-based initiatives including Skill Saathi as the Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

The demand-supply gap and limited scope for vertical mobility is the underlying problem in skill education and creating an employable workforce in India. So, vocational education in our country should be industry-aligned and there is an urgent need to create awareness about VET. 

Also read: 10 points to consider: Vocational education and skills in National Education Policy 2020 https://nationalskillsnetwork.in/10-points-to-consider-vocational-education-and-skills-in-national-education-policy-2020/

This welcome move from the government will help in creating awareness on vocational education from the school level, as pointed out in National Education Policy 2020. Along with this, it will also help in creating avenues for vertical mobility, employment, entrepreneurship, and inclusive growth.