Govt working on modernising education system to meet 21st century needs: PM Modi

New Delhi: Education system plays a key role in preparing youth for the country’s future and the government is working on modernising it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday.

Addressing the YUGM Innovation Conclave at Bharat Mandapam here, Modi asserted that it is crucial that the journey from idea to prototype to product is completed in the shortest time possible.

Emphasising the need to consistently promote AI, quantum computing, advanced analytics, space tech, health tech, and synthetic biology, Modi highlighted India’s leading position in AI development and adoption.

“The education system plays a crucial role in this preparation and underscored efforts to modernize India’s education system to meet 21st-century needs. The introduction of the New National Education Policy is designed with global education standards in mind,” he said while noting the significant changes it has brought to the Indian education system.

Underscoring the importance of meeting the goal of a developed India within the next 25 years, the prime minister said, “it is crucial that the journey from idea to prototype to product is completed in the shortest time possible”.

He stressed that reducing the distance from lab to market ensures faster delivery of research outcomes to the people, motivates researchers, and provides tangible incentives for their work.

“This accelerates the cycle of research, innovation, and value addition,” he said.

The prime minister called for a robust research ecosystem, urging academic institutions, investors, and industry to support and guide researchers.

The youth today excels not only in research and development but have become ready, emphasising the transformative contributions of India’s young generation to research across various sectors,” he said.

Citing milestones like the commissioning of the world’s longest hyperloop test track, a 422-metre hyperloop developed at IIT Madras in collaboration with Indian Railways, the PM lauded groundbreaking achievements such as nanotechnology developed by scientists at IISc Bangalore to control light at the nano-scale and the “brain on a chip” technology, capable of storing and processing data across over 16,000 conduction states in a molecular film.