Chennai: The central government is considering to add skill based learning be incorporated in the curriculum of Class 11 and 12 as per the recommendations of the national education policy (NEP) 2020, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said here on Sunday.
The Union Education Minister said there has to be a paradigm shift in learning methodology at the appropriate level and the NEP was recommending it. “We are on the job to introduce skill based curriculum of Class 11 and 12,” he said.
He was speaking at an event at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras here.
Elaborating about the concept of including skill based learning in the curriculum, Pradhan said the earlier education system was certificate and degree focused.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi rightly said we need degree and certification but we need to make the students competent also,” he said at the Dakshinapatha Summit 2025 at IIT Madras.
“One of the primary recommendation of the NEP 2020 is skill based education,” he said.
Pradhan said his ministry was also working on introducing skill based learning even from Class 6 onwards.
“Previously, skill based learning was optional. Skill based education was a selective. But henceforth skill will be a formal part of education as a subject,” he said.
On preparing new curriculum to Class 11 and 12, he said previous pattern of education was focused on science, commerce and humanities.
“Now, we are planning to introduce skilling also. For example, students may study subjects like mathematics, language, computer language writing – that is coding. Drone technology or artificial intelligence learning. It is a new era,” he said.
“We have to train our youngsters, align our youngsters (with the new curriculum structure),” he added.
Referring to his earlier interaction with some IIT Madras students and some who have launched startup, Pradhan said, “I am very much thankful to Professor (IIT-M Director) Kamakoti and his team. They are jointly promoting and facilitating students with special talents.”
“There are students who have qualified for JEE Advanced but somehow due to their sports activities could not get into IIT Madras. With the progressive policy recommended by the national education policy, a lot of talents from the fields of sports and music, are now joining IIT with their choice of subjects,” Pradhan said.
On the occasion, the minister met students who joined IIT Madras after studying in Tamil Nadu government schools under the ‘IITM for All’ initiative.
“This programme aims to make IIT Madras accessible to all, especially students from rural and underprivileged backgrounds. These students are enrolled in the four-year online BS Data Science programme. This programme is fulfilling aspirations and making dreams come true,” he said.
Observing that there are more than 1.75 lakh startups in the country, he said, “The new narrative is that these startup founders have become job creators and not job seekers. IITs are competing with each other.”
