India needs to prioritise the competencies of its workers and foster innovation, apart from laying importance on degrees, Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Education Minister, said on Wednesday.
According to him, the country is already taking giant leaps in areas such as digital capabilities, AI and machine learning, and frontier technologies. “In the coming days, we will have to work on a new curriculum to prepare our youth for opportunities in these booming areas. The new National Education Policy (NEP) will be helpful in this area,” he said during the annual session of the CII.
‘Need of the hour’
The need of the hour would be to link the Indian market with innovation. “If we combine the Indian market with Indian innovation, we will be able to brand our technology. By investing in research and development and working our best, we can make this possible,” Pradhan said.
According to him, the NEP has given importance to skilling and schooling while keeping the demands of the world in mind.
“India today has become a preferable destination. The single-point reason for it is our internal market and its competent manpower. Quality education, skill development, capacity building, and financial empowerment of a large section of the population should be among the responsibilities of the industry stakeholders,” Pradhan said.