Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said that Assam will be a 'laboratory' for a unique caste, tribe, and language-based education system.
Speaking at the Northeast Education Conclave at GMCH auditorium in Guwahati, the education minister said that all the northeastern states together inculcate as many as 180 languages which make Assam a key state in the region ruled by the BJP. "The northeastern states have 180 regional languages and we want Assam to become the laboratory for a caste, tribe and language-based education system. The central government will prioritize every resource needed for this," the minister said.
The minister further added that the students are the greatest stakeholders in the national education policy which was passed last year. "The NEP is focused on developing the desired learning competencies right from pre-primary, equipping students with 21st-century knowledge and skills, and preparing our youth to become global citizens," he added.
"Guided by PM Narendra Modi's vision, we are charting a roadmap for creating Special Education Zones to bring about educational equity in the country. The immense potential of Guwahati can be harnessed to make it an educational hub for the north-east and the country," he said.
Talking of Assam as a case in point, the Union education minister said that this might be the only state in India to spend as much as six per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on education. Moreover, considering the fact that bio-mass-based renewable energy has recently been of value in the northeastern region, the minister said that knowledge of such alternative sources of energy will be an integral part of the students' educational curriculum to expectedly pave the way for broader economic transformation.