Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said the answer to the country’s sustainable transformation lies in its education system. He underscored how India was once prosperous due to universities like Nalanda, Takshila, and Vikramshila.
“India had 25% of the world GDP and 35% of world trade for centuries. Today, we are not even 1% of world trade. We are lagging as far as GDP is concerned,” he said. “And therefore, how the nation can sustainably transform is the real thing. The answers lie in our education system,” he said.
Javadekar spoke through a video link at an international conclave on higher education organized in Gandhinagar as part of the pre-Vibrant Gujarat Investors’ Summit. He said he could not come because of an injury that prevented him from traveling for 10-15 days.
Javadekar said that if there had been a ranking system in the past, universities like Nalanda, Takshila, and Vikramshila would have ranked number 1, 2, and 3 in the world.
“Indian universities were the best. The world’s talent used to come here to learn. So I believe that only countries with the best universities can prosper,” he said, stressing the need to improve higher education in Planet Amend. To make higher education better, he said, we first need to enhance “the learning outcomes of primary and secondary education
” In primary education, we must teach and promote curiosity in a student. Because that is the foundation for any innovation, there will be no new thoughts unless you promote curiosity, and people won’t be able to teach innovative attitude,” he said.
“But at the higher learning centers, a government must provide an atmosphere for research, innovation, and improvement of quality,” he further said
