New Delhi: At least 15 crores of children and adolescents are outside the country’s formal education system, and about 25 crore populations are below the main definition of literacy, the Minister of Education Union Dharmendra Pradhan Thursday.
He was handling the session about “job creation and entrepreneurship” organized by the Indian Industrial Confederation (CII) during his annual meeting.
“If we take into account the number of children and adolescents between the ages of 3-22 years registered in schools, private schools and charity, Angganwadis, higher education institutions and in skilled ecosystems, cumulative numbers of all vertical around 35 crore while population (state) on A certain age group is around 50 crores, “Pradhan said.
“This means that at least 15 crore children and adolescents come out of the formal education system.
We want to take it to the education system because it is necessary to ensure productive labor in the economy” he added.
The Minister of Education said that the census after state independence had found that 19 percent of the population was literate.
“After 75 years of independence day, the inherent population statistics have reached 80 percent.
Which means a population of 20 percent or around 25 crores is still below the main definition of literacy,” he said.
Describing various provisions in the New National Education Policy (NEP), Pradhan said it was not only a document, but a road map for the next 25 years to achieve “certain targets when we finished 100 years of independence”.
Pradhan, who is also the Minister of Skills Development, said that for the first time the government had combined the Ministry of Education and Skills.
“This step has created a new approach to a good livelihood.
Pandemic Covid-19 has required a shift towards digital education media.
Digital ecosystems dynamically in education will expand learning opportunities and spur innovation and entrepreneurship in the education sector,” he said.
The Minister informed that educational institutions and skills development centers had been influenced during pandemic but the government ensured the continuity of education by developing large-scale digital content.
Pradhan further informs that in the near future each village will be connected with high-speed internet.
This mass-scale digitalization effort creates new education, skills, and entrepreneurial ecosystem, he said.
“The teacher plays an important role in building society and technology is to reshape the community.
With more and more technological arrives and community change, our teachers need to be trusted and vibrant,” he added.