Pralhad Joshi: First Reaction After Being Named Education Minister

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has been appointed India’s new Union Minister for Education following Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. He has been given additional charge of the Education Ministry while continuing to hold the Consumer Affairs portfolio. Pradhan had resigned from his post amid student protests.
Newly appointed Education Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Saturday that he had accepted the responsibility with a sense of duty and humility. Speaking to reporters, he said: “The Prime Minister has entrusted me with an important responsibility. I accept it with a sense of duty and humility.”
He added: “Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership over the past 12 years, the government has achieved several historic milestones. Over the last four to five years, Dharmendra Pradhan also played a key role in implementing the National Education Policy (NEP). Under the Prime Minister’s guidance, I will try to perform to the best of my ability.”
Earlier, Dharmendra Pradhan had resigned from his post following nationwide student protests over the NEET paper leak issue. Pradhan had said the matter was not one of personal prestige for him, but that events over the past ten days had deeply troubled him.
Protesting Students’ Three Key Expectations from the New Education Minister
Students who protested for nearly a month at Jantar Mantar against the NEET paper leak say that Pradhan’s resignation has fulfilled one of their major demands, but they expect the new education minister to bring about real and effective reforms in the education system. When asked by PTI what they expected from the new minister, protesters from various states repeatedly emphasized three key demands: complete transparency in the examination system, affordable and quality education, and strengthening of government schools and primary education.