New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday stated that the British handed the country an education system to develop a servant class to satisfy their own purposes, and most of it has stayed untouched, news agency PTI reported.


“The British provided this education system to prepare a servant class for themselves to meet their needs. After Independence there were some changes in it but a lot remained," PM Modi said. 


On Thursday, PM Modi visited his Lok Sabha constituency and inaugrated the three-day Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam organised by the Ministry of Education in association with the University Grants Commission (UGC) and Banaras Hindu University, news agency ANI reported.


Speaking at a conference on the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) here, Modi said the system should create more than just degree holders, but also the human resources needed to move the country ahead.


Highlighting the education policy, PM Modi said, "The foundational aim behind the National Education Policy is to bring education out from the limits of narrow thought-process & to integrate it with the modern ideas of the 21st century."


"We just don't have to prepare youth with degrees, it's imperative, that along with it, our education policy also contributes to the nation while preparing significant human resources needed to take the country forward," he said.


"For new National Education Policy, work has also been done on a major infrastructure overhaul in the education sector of the country. NEP is paving way for education in regional languages. Ancient Indian languages like Sanskrit are also being carried forward," he further said. 


He recommended collaboration between the government and universities, encouraging them to identify areas of competence and provide advise.


"You should identify problems, resources, and solutions within a 50-100 km radius of the university," he said, adding that students might research the impact of government programs in these regions.


He stated that the educational system must keep up with the changing world and prepare the students for it. “In the coming 15-20 years, India will be in the hands of these children and we should think about how we are preparing them. This is our great responsibility.” Modi said. 


Modi discussed the introduction of private firms into fields such as space technology, where previously only the government was involved. Women are now being shown in fields that were formerly inaccessible to them, according to him.


"Many new colleges, universities, IITs and IIMs are opening in the country. There has been an increase of 55 per cent in the number of medical colleges after 2014," he  was quoted by PTI in its report. 


PM Modi also unveiled the Akshay Patra Mid Day Meal Kitchen at LT College, Varanasi. It has the capacity to cook mid-day meals for around one lakh students. 






Speaking about Indian economy, PM Modi said, "Not only did India recover rapidly from the Covid pandemic, but it also became one of the fastest-growing large economies in the world. We are the world's third-largest startup ecosystem."


According to the Ministry of Education, the three-day seminar will bring together over 300 Vice-Chancellors and Directors from public and private universities, educationists, and policymakers to deliberate on how the implementation of National Education Policy 2020 can be taken further across the country after successful implementation of several initiatives in the last two years. 


Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan were also present at the occassion. 


Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam


Spanning several sessions spread over three days from July 7 to 9, the Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam will feature discussions on themes such as Multidisciplinary and Holistic Education, Skill Development and Employability, Indian Knowledge Systems, Internationalization of Education, Digital Empowerment and Online Education, Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Quality, Ranking and Accreditation, Equitable and Inclusive Education, Capacity Building of Teachers for Quality Education. 


The key highlight of the Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam will be the adoption of the Varanasi Declaration on Higher Education which will showcase India's extended vision and a renewed commitment to help achieve the goals of the higher education system, the Education Ministry stated in a statement. 


(With Agencies Inputs)