Challenges pile up from NEET to UGC, education ministry’s biggest ordeal against Prahlad Joshi

New Delhi: After the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Government has assigned additional charge of Education Ministry to Union Minister Prahlad Joshi. He is likely to hold the charge till a possible cabinet reshuffle in September-October. However, it is not easy for him to take over the education ministry in the current scenario, as the ministry is at the center of many controversies and challenges.

In the last 12 years, the Ministry of Education has seen the most changes in the Modi government. After Smriti Irani, Prakash Javadekar, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Dharmendra Pradhan, now Prahlad Joshi has become the fifth minister to hold this responsibility. So far, no education minister has been able to complete five consecutive years in office.

Ministry of Education Important

The Ministry of Education is considered important in the BJP government. Decisions related to national education policy, appointment of university chancellors, reforms in the higher education sector and curriculum are all under scrutiny. Because of this, every decision of the Ministry becomes a subject of political and academic discussion.

Significant progress was made in the implementation of the New Education Policy (NEP) during Dharmendra Pradhan’s tenure. However, after the UGC guidelines controversy, complaints related to CBSE’s OMR sheet evaluation and the nationwide student agitation over the NEET paper leak in particular, he came under pressure and eventually resigned.

Will face many challenges

Now Prahlad Joshi is taking over the ministry at a time when the amendment bill related to stopping paper leaks is about to be introduced in the Lok Sabha. Also, restoring confidence in the examination system, addressing student concerns, bringing transparency in higher education and speeding up the implementation of the new education policy will be the biggest challenge for him.

The next few months could prove crucial for Prahlad Joshi. All eyes will be on him not only for the day-to-day running of the ministry but also how successful he is in restoring public confidence in the education system.