Dharmendra Pradhan urges private companies to spend more on education

NEW DELHI: Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan urged private companies to invest more on education through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds. He was answering a parliamentary question on investment in education today.

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“Reply on the #ParliamentQuestion on increasing public investment in education sector,” Dharmendra Pradhan said in a tweet while sharing the video of his reply.

Reply on the #ParliamentQuestion on increasing public investment in education sector. #QuestionHour #WinterSession2021 #RajyaSabha pic.twitter.com/D86M0Jw7gI

— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) December 8, 2021

While the CSR mandate includes education, we need to create an environment and consensus to invest a large portion of CSR funds on education and research, Pradhan said. Several private companies have given priority to it, he said.

Private endowments are being done by successful people of the new generation who are doing investments for education through it, he said.

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The education minister said in a few days, Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) 3.0 will be introduced by the government which will give priority to the education in backward and aspirational districts for their upliftment and development.

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Answering a question on whether the government has taken an initiative towards innovation and labs for school students, the minister said that the central government and state government will invest Rs 3 lakh crore on school education in the coming five years wherein innovation has been given topmost priority.

We are moving towards virtual labs and the government is working with the foundation who brought the initiative of digital labs to prepare the new generation, Pradhan said.

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Under NEP 2020, the roadmap is to increase the gross enrolment ratio which is low in higher education to 50% till 2050, Dharmendra Pradhan further said.