Schools must be entrusted to society - Dharmendra Pradhan

Dharmendra Pradhan, chaired a day-long consultation meeting with the stakeholders on Samagra Shiksha 3.0, titled 'Reimagining Samagra Shiksha', at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, New Delhi, today.

The meeting aimed to develop a strategic, consultative, and implementable roadmap for Samagra Shiksha 3.0 through collaborative deliberations with States, UTs, and sectoral stakeholders. The discussions focused on emerging challenges, best practices, and priority interventions required to strengthen governance, infrastructure, teacher training, and student entitlements in the next phase of the scheme.

The meeting was attended by Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Education; Shri Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, School Education and Literacy; Dr. Vineet Joshi, Secretary, Higher Education; Additional and Joint Secretaries of the Ministry; State Education Secretaries and State Project Directors (SPDs) of Samagra Shiksha from 11 States and Union Territories; representatives from various Ministries and eminent experts from the education sector.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Pradhan said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has outlined a vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047, which can be realised only when every child in India has access to quality education and the country achieves 100 per cent enrolment up to Class XII. He emphasised that bridging learning gaps, reducing dropouts, improving learning and nutrition outcomes, strengthening teacher capacity, fostering critical skills, and moving the ‘Amrit Peedhi’ beyond the Macaulay mindset are collective responsibilities for building a strong human capital base.

The Union Education Minister added that the collaborative deliberations and pioneering ideas shared at the forum would help chart a clear roadmap for strengthening the school education ecosystem and reimagining Samagra Shiksha to make it outcome-oriented, globally competitive, rooted in Bharatiyata, and responsive to the diverse needs of students. Shri Pradhan stressed that to promote the holistic development of students and expand access to knowledge through the meaningful integration of technology, it is essential to once again entrust schools to society.

Referring to the next phase of Samagra Shiksha, Shri Pradhan said that five years after the implementation of NEP 2020, we are entering a new phase of educational reform aligned with national development goals. He urged all stakeholders to come together to prepare a robust and holistic annual plan for the academic year 2026–27 and take it forward as a nationwide movement, noting that the convergence of ideas will strengthen collective capacity. Shri Pradhan also appreciated the enthusiastic participation and valuable suggestions of academic experts, senior officials from sectoral Ministries and representatives from the 11 participating States and Union Territories.