Technology and teachers coming together can make students “terminators”, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Monday. The minister made the comment at the launch of a three-year ”Education to Entrepreneurship: Empowering a Generation of Students, Educators and Entrepreneurs” partnership between the Union Ministry of Education, the Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Meta.
Three letters of intent were exchanged between Meta and the National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the Central Board of Secondary Education.
“India has inherent strengths of democracy, diversity and demography. The convergence of technology with these inherent strengths can go a long way in value creation for the society and economy. Technology and teachers coming together could make our students ’terminators’,” Pradhan said.
He cited examples of many youngsters from tier 2 and 3 cities making a mark in their respective fields by harnessing the power of technology.
The minister said a new curriculum is being developed that is in tune with the requirements of the 21st century, guided by the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020.
“NEP has a special focus on entrepreneurship development and today’s initiatives launched is a significant step towards the same,” he added.
The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship signed memorandums of understanding with Meta for entrepreneurship development across the country.
According to officials, under this three-year partnership, a million entrepreneurs will get access to digital marketing skills. Budding and existing entrepreneurs will be trained in digital marketing skills using Meta platforms Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram in seven regional languages to begin with.
Further, a two-year AVGC-XR-AI diploma course will be introduced for students across AICTE-affiliated colleges. About 100,000 students and 20,000 educators will be trained in AR, VR, AI and XR technologies.
This partnership will empower students, educators and entrepreneurs across India and help equip them with the skills and tools necessary to thrive in the technology-driven world of the 21st century and in the sunrise sectors of the Industrial Revolution 4.0, they said.
“PM (Narendra) Modi has for the first time in the country given unprecedented attention to the need to develop wealth creators. From the ramparts of the Red Fort also, he spoke about the importance of wealth creators in society. Initiatives signed today will go a long way in empowering our tiny and small entrepreneurs, building their capacities and unleashing their true potential,” Pradhan said.
He also spoke about the digital superhighway being made in India on the back of the 5G launch, high-speed broadband in all villages, digital payment infrastructure and other digital initiatives.
In a video message, Meta President (Global Affairs) Nick Clegg thanked Pradhan for his support in bringing the partnership together between the two most important sectors of the workforce — education and skilling.
“India’s talent base and rapid digital adoption make it the perfect place for us to invest in emerging technologies,” he added.
Clegg said he is looking forward to Meta’s contribution to empowering India’s students, young people and entrepreneurs with a significant focus on skill development for Indian startups and businesses, having worked closely with India during its G20 presidency in areas such as education, job creation, skill development and user safety.
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