'My English wasn't good. So, my father used to tell me to read India Today magazine,' Dharmendra Pradhan remembers school days

Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, while speaking at Business Today’s 'India At 100 Economy Summit', revealed his father had advised him to read the India Today magazine to improve his English when he was in school.    

“When I passed Class X exams, my father asked me to read India Today magazine along with Sunday magazine, The Statesman, and Illustrated Weekly to hone my English language skills. I have continued with my reading to date. I read the India Today magazine every week,” he added.

Earlier in the session titled ‘Jobs: Laying the Path for the Demographic Dividend to Bloom’, the minister said that the Narendra Modi government is trying hard decolonise the education system in the country, which is the main focus now.   

While talking about the challenges owing to the pandemic, Pradhan said that he cannot give a timeline of when the schools can make up for the lost education years. However, he added that the states have devised plans, like reducing the syllabus, adding extra classes, and others, to help the students.

During the session, he admitted that the maiden Central University Entrance Test (CUET) this year had many glitches and didn’t go as planned, but efforts were being made to address the problems. “By September, all kinds of entrance exams will be over. We will formulate an expert group to look into the matter. Our primary aim is to make our students confident, and less burdened. Exams should be joyful.” 

The sixth phase, which is the final phase of the examination, will end on 30 August. The UG result is expected to be announced by September 10, while the CUET PG result shall be declared by September 25. The PG exams are scheduled to be held between 1 and 11 September, as per the confirmed date-sheet.