Dharmendra Pradhan, Singapore education minister discuss ways to broaden ties

NEW DELHI: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and his Singaporean counterpart Chan Chun Sing on Wednesday agreed to broaden the existing partnership through institutional mechanisms, particularly towards building capacities of teachers and trainers, incorporating future skills into education and skilling ecosystem.

Pradhan was on a three-day visit to Singapore to strengthen existing ties and explore the possibility of widening the scope of bilateral engagement in education and skill development. "The ministers had fruitful conversations on further strengthening the bilateral cooperation and deepening engagements in all areas of education and skill development. Pradhan also explored ways in which Singapore can partner with India for seamlessly integrating skilling and vocational education starting from the school level itself," the Ministry of Education said in a statement. A Singapore delegation will be participating in the forthcoming G20 Education Ministers' Meeting in Pune.

Pleasure meeting my Singaporean counterpart, Minister for Education, Chan Chun Sing.

Fruitful conversations on further strengthening our bilateral cooperation and deepening engagements in all areas of education and skill development. pic.twitter.com/F6fjmvAMiY

— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) May 31, 2023

Pradhan also visited Skills Future Singapore, a key initiative of the government of Singapore to make the country future-ready. Skills Future Singapore (SSG) drives and coordinates the implementation of the national Skills Future movement, promotes a culture and holistic system of lifelong learning through the pursuit of skills mastery and strengthens the ecosystem of quality education and training in Singapore. "Pradhan said that Skills Future envisions making Singapore a nation of lifelong learners and a society that values skills mastery. Skills Future initiative has allowed Singaporeans to maximise their potential and is a key driver of Singapore's next phase of development, he added. "The minister highlighted that continuous education and lifelong learning is also the core of NEP in India. Insights gained today will add value to our efforts of transforming India's skill ecosystem, creating a future-ready workforce and harnessing the full potential of our young demography to drive national progress," the statement said.

During his three-day visit to Singapore, Pradhan met various key ministers of the Singaporean government, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong, Minister of Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, and Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies Tharman Shanmugaratnam. "Building on the outcomes of the G20 Future of Work workshop in Bhubaneswar, they discussed ways in which India can leverage the expertise and knowledge of Singapore for addressing common challenges and transforming the Indian skills ecosystem," the statement said.