Argus News - Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Highlights NEP, New NCERT Textbooks & Reforms

New Delhi, Jan 2: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday interacted with journalists to outline the key achievements of the Ministry of Education in 2025 and to present the broad roadmap for programmes and reforms planned for 2026, with a strong focus on skill development, employment generation and the effective implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP).

Addressing the media, Pradhan said the year 2025 marked several significant milestones for the education sector. He noted that multiple initiatives had been launched under the framework of the NEP with the objective of making students self-reliant and future-ready. According to him, the emphasis is on designing education in a manner that not only imparts academic knowledge but also builds practical skills aligned with emerging job markets.

New Bill on Horizon
The minister said the proposed Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill is expected to be taken up for detailed discussion in Parliament in the coming days.

“Once this Bill is passed, it will bring many long-term benefits. Our objective is not just to create job seekers but job providers,” the Minister said.

It can be mentioned here that Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, seeks to establish a regulatory body for higher education. This body will replace the following existing bodies: (i) University Grants Commission (UGC), (ii) All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and (iii) National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). The Bill repeals the three Acts providing for the constitution of these bodies. The Bill exempts legal and medical education from its purview. These will continue to be regulated under separate Acts. The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on December 15, 2025

New Books Are Coming
Highlighting curriculum reforms, Pradhan said the NCERT is preparing new textbooks for the academic year based on the NEP framework. He said revised textbooks for Classes 9 and 11 would be introduced shortly, followed by new textbooks for Classes 10 and 12. The revised content, he said, aims to make learning more conceptual, skill-oriented and relevant to contemporary needs.

Handsome Grant Expected
On funding, the Union minister said the education sector is likely to receive a strong allocation in the current financial year’s Union Budget. He pointed out that the central government has been consistently increasing the budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Education every year, underlining the priority accorded to the sector.

“To build a developed India, we need to expand our workforce, and the Ministry of Education has a very important role in that process,” Pradhan said.

He said educational reforms are being shaped with a long-term vision to strengthen human capital across the country.

NEP & Three Language Formula
The minister also spoke about language education under the NEP. It's been designed that the students from Classes 6 to 10 be taught under a three-language formula, with an emphasis on two Indian languages. Similarly, arrangements have been made for education in two languages at the Classes 11 and 12 levels.

Nabarangpur DEO Mentioned
Referring to Odisha, the Education Minister mentioned a recent review meeting on the state’s aspirational districts. He cited an example from Nabarangpur district, where the district education officer used artificial intelligence to develop a video in a tribal language. The video, he said, demonstrated how learning through games and visual tools can help educate children and impart technological awareness.

Pradhan said such initiatives reflect the spirit of the NEP, which places strong emphasis on regional languages and innovative, technology-driven learning methods to make education more inclusive and effective.