Government announces improvements in education sector
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country has been making continuous progress in the higher education sector. Apart from this, he also announced many initiatives to transform India into a 21st century knowledge economy. The federal minister said at a press conference that from next year 2025, the National Testing Agency (NTA) will only be responsible for conducting entrance examinations for higher education institutions and not for admissions examinations.
Meanwhile, regarding examination reforms, Dharmendra Pradhan said that the NTA will be reorganized in 2025 and 10 new posts will be created. Dharmendra Pradhan said discussions are ongoing with the health ministry whether the NEET-UG 2025 examination should be conducted in pen-and-paper mode or online mode. He said the government is leaving no stone unturned to conduct the exams in online mode. Hence, we may see technology-driven entrance exams in the near future.
More schools for children with disabilities
Talking to reporters, Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also said that the number of schools provided for children with disabilities has increased today as compared to 2013-14. This figure was 56.8% in 2013-14 and will increase to 77% in 2023-24. He said that efforts are being made to remove barriers and hurdles in education and provide 100 per cent educational opportunities to children with disabilities.
Indian languages ​​and mother tongues are a priority for the Indian government’s education policy.
Today, our entrance exams are conducted in 13 languages: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Oriya, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and English. pic.twitter.com/9cu3OC2VKN
— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) December 17, 2024
Dharmendra Pradhan told a press conference that enrollment in higher education has increased by 30%. Earlier in the financial year 2014-15, this figure was Rs 34.2 crore, which has increased to Rs 44.6 crore in the financial year 2022-23. On the other hand, female enrollment increased from 1.57 billion to 2.18 billion, reaching an unprecedented 38.4%. Similarly, female enrollment in STEM courses also increased from 3.514 million to 4.303 million, an increase of 23%.
Apart from this, he said that today in major entrance examinations, Hindi and mother tongue are given priority. The entrance exam is conducted in Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Oriya, Tamil, It is conducted in 13 languages ​​including Telugu, Urdu and English.
Important Announcement on NTA Examination Reform
- In the near future, the government is moving towards computer-adaptive exams, technology-driven entrance exams.
- The Undergraduate Common University Entrance Test (CUET UG) is conducted once a year.
- Whether the NEET-UG exam will be conducted in pen-and-paper mode or online – negotiations are ongoing with the health ministry.
- From 2025, NTA will conduct entrance exams only for higher education institutions.
