Prakash Javadekar, who will on Thursday take over the controversy-ridden HRD Ministry, stressed the need for dialogue to avoid agitations even as he asserted that education is not a subject for party politics.
Speaking to reporters here, Javadekar, who replaces Smriti Irani, said he was open to suggestions and consultations with everyone and lauded the “good initiatives” taken by his predecessor. He said he will also speak to her to take them forward.
“I am a product of student agitation, so we will always talk with everybody. So with dialogues in place, there will be no necessity of agitation,” Javadekar said against the backdrop of controversies including JNU row and protests in Hyderabad University following dalit scholar Rohith Vemula’s death during Irani's tenure.
“I accept this (new) responsibility humbly and I will talk to our earlier Minister Murli Manohar Joshi,” said Javadekar, who will formally assume HRD Ministry’s charge on Thursday. Joshi, a former BJP president, is now part of Margdarshak Mandal.
The HRD Minister said he believes that education should be student-centric and encourage innovation.
On the new education policy, which is being formulated by the HRD Ministry currently, Javadekar said it needs to become more relevant and “we have to make our education system more
innovative”.
On his elevation as a Cabinet Minister, Javadekar said it was a “technical requirement” as for taking the responsibility of HRD Ministry, “you need to have a Cabinet Minister”.
Asked about controversies surrounding the HRD Ministry, he said that education is a national agenda and not a party agenda and everybody will work together for it. He said that the main priority for him would be to improve the quality of education and termed it as a challenge.
On reports of Congress’ planned agitation on the alleged dilution of Forest Rights Act, Javadekar retorted with an apparent jibe at Rahul Gandhi, asking “Has their leader returnedIJ I don’t know. That is their internal issue.”