The Hindu has organised a thought-provoking conclave on education, said Union Human Resource Minister Prakash Javadekar, lauding the third edition of the Excellence in Education conclave organised by The Hindu group in association with Blue Star.

“We get valuable inputs from such events to raise the educational standards in the country. The media is not just a loudspeaker but has to critically examine government programmes and come up with new suggestions so that the country is benefited and enriched,” said Mr. Javadekar, in a special message delivered via a video link to the conclave held here on Thursday.

Remarking on the slew of initiatives undertaken by the present NDA government in a bid to harness the digital revolution, Mr. Javadekar said: “Our government has taken benefit of the digital revolution to educate 15 lakh teachers and making education available online and offline. Education policy today is based on accessibility, accountability, affordability and equity.”

He said that the HRD Ministry had unveiled initiatives like SWAYAM and the National Digital Library to revolutionise the structure of education in the country.

Mr. Javadekar noted how the launching of Operation Digital Board across 15 lakh classrooms in the country in the next four years would change the face of education in the country.

He further said that the granting of complete autonomy to IIMs was a major step towards ensuring excellence in education, commenting that the concept of research parks and Atal innovation centres was a major step towards fostering entrepreneurship.

State Education Minister Vinod Tawde said the The Hindu conclave was “a breakthrough” for thinking about the education system not only in Maharashtra but in the country as well.

“Our educational system still languishes in the industrial revolution era. The conclave will help in providing inputs as to how the curriculum can be adapted to today’s digital educational epoch,” Mr. Tawde said.

He further remarked on the need to mull about the emotional and spiritual quotients and not merely the intelligence quotient in education.

In his keynote address, Maharashtra Education Commissioner Vishal Solanki noted the three critical issues were digitalisation in 21st century schools, excellence in education and fostering an entrepreneurial spirit.

“While phrases like ‘Technology is a great leveller’ sounds good to the ears, in reality a lot needs to be done towards improving digital connectivity in the State’s, and India’s, rural hinterland,” Mr. Solanki said.

Observing that while education offered by some establishments was expensive, he questioned whether an ‘Ivy League’ education truly guaranteed quality education or imbibed the right values in moulding children’s characters.

Fondly recalling his eager wait for The Hindu during his days as a civil services aspirant, Mr. Solanki said that Pune was an apt place to host the conclave as it had a number of excellent educational institutes with a 200-year academic pedigree.

Commenting on the yeoman service rendered by The Hindu in upholding journalistic values as well as in maintaining literary standards, B. Thiagarajan, Joint Managing-Director, Blue Star, said that the conclave symbolised a marriage of two iconic brands – The Hindu and Blue Star – in fostering education and an entrepreneurial spirit through knowledge.

“For educationists as well as the student fraternity, The Hindu is indelibly associated with high-quality English writing and a judicious choice of informative articles. Likewise, a commitment to providing quality vocational training constitutes a significant part of Blue Star’s CSR initiatives,” said Mr. Thiagarajan.