Govt deliberating on ways to formalise skilling in school system, de-link degrees from competency: Dharmendra Pradhan

The Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has announced that the Centre is currently exploring ways to incorporate skilling into the school education system. He emphasized the need for the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT), and the National Council of Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) to collaborate in developing a framework for mapping future skills. Pradhan also stressed the importance of decoupling degrees from competency and focusing instead on developing competencies that will be relevant in the future job market.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the 3rd G20 Education Working Group Meeting, Pradhan explained that the forum's discussions would help implement India's new National Education Policy by adopting global models and best practices. The minister noted that the future job market would differ significantly from the current one and that there was a need to map out the necessary skills to make students job-ready. The third G20 Education Working Group meeting will prioritize deliberations on foundation literacy and numeracy, tech-enabled learning, future of work, and research collaborations.

In a joint workshop between India and Singapore, stakeholders and delegates discussed best practices in skills and education in both countries, as well as ways to prepare for a future-ready workforce. Pradhan hailed the collaboration as a "great beginning" for developing a seamless architecture for skilling and building a new skilling model that would inspire emerging economies.