List of Education Ministers of India from 1947 to 2024
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Since independence literacy rates have gone from 12% to 75% in current years. In India, the education system has improved since the times of independence and this change is due to the great devotion and dedication of our leaders who tried hard to bring change in the level of education to be delivered. There have been more than 30 Education Ministers till now. They all have done admirable jobs in their time as Education Minister of India.
List of Education Ministers of India
Education ministers of India have played a significant role in molding the education system in India. From a 12% literacy rate at the time of independence to a 75% literacy rate in the present era has been the great role of our great leader. From our First Education minister, Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad to the Present Education minister of India Dharmendra Pradhan has contributed significantly to making this nation a great hub of education. Implementation of New Educational Policy 2020 is running to make new reforms in the education system in India. Below is the list of Education Ministers of India including their tenure of office:
| S.No. | Education Ministers of India | Term of office |
| 1. | Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad | 15 Aug 1947 – 22 Jan 1958 |
| 2. | Dr. K. L. Shrimali | 22 Jan 1958 – 31 Aug 1963 |
| 3. | Shri Humayun Kabir | 1 September 1963- 21 Nov 1963 |
| 4. | Shri. M. C. Chagla | 21 Nov 1963- 13 Nov 1966 |
| 5. | Shri. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed | 14 Nov 1966- 13 March 1967 |
| 6. | Dr. Triguna Sen | 16 March 1967- 14 Feb 1969 |
| 7. | Dr. V. K. R. V. Rao | 14 Feb 1969 – 18 March 1971 |
| 8. | Shri. Siddhartha Shankar Ray | 18 March 1971 – 20 March 1972 |
| 9. | Prof. S. Nurul Hasan | 24 March 1972- 24 March 1977 |
| 10. | Prof. Pratap Chandra Chunder | 26 March 1977 – 28 July 1979 |
| 11. | Dr. Karan Singh | 29 July 1979 -January 1980 |
| 12. | Shri. B. Shankar Anand | 14 January 1980- 18 October 1980 |
| 13. | Shri. S.B. Chavan | 17 October 1980- 8 August 1981 |
| 14. | Smt. Sheila Kaul | 10 August 1981- 31 December 1984 |
| 15. | Shri. K. C. Pant | 31 December 1984- 25 September 1985 |
| 16. | Shri. P.V. Narasimha Rao | 25 September 1985- 25 June 1988 |
| 17. | Shri. P. Shiv Shankar | 25 June 1988- 2 December 1989 |
| 18. | Shri. V.P. Singh | 2 December 1989- 10 November 1990 |
| 19. | Shri. Raj Mangal Pandey | 21 November 1990- 21 June 1991 |
| 20. | Shri. Arjun Singh | 23 June 1991- 24 December 1994 |
| 21. | P.V Narasimha Rao (REPEATED TWICE) | 25 December 1994- 9 February 1995 |
| 22. | Shri. Madhav Rao Scindia | 10 February 1995- 17 January 1996 |
| 23. | P.V Narasimha Rao (REPEATED THRICE) | 17 January 1996- 16 May 1996 |
| 24. | Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 16 May 1996- 1 June 1996 |
| 25. | Shri. S.R. Bommai | 5 June 1996- 19 March 1998 |
| 26. | Dr. Murali Manohar Joshi | 19 March 1998- 22 May 2009 |
| 27. | Arjun Singh (REPEATED TWICE) | 22 May 2004 – 22 May 2009 |
| 28. | Shri Kapil Sibal | 29 May 2009- 29 October 2012 |
| 29. | Shri. M. M. Pallam Raju | 30 October 2012- 26 May 2014 |
| 30. | Smt. Smriti Irani | 26 May 2014 – 5 July 2016 |
| 31. | Shri. Prakash Javdekar | 5 July 2016 – 30 May 2019 |
| 32. | Ramesh Pokhriyal | 30 May 2019- 7 July 2021 |
| 33. | Dharmendra Pradhan | 7 July 2021 – Present |
Education Minister of India
In order to achieve or raise this mission, the Ministry of Education which is responsible for the implementation of the National Education policy was created on September 26, 1985. India had the Ministry of Education since 1947. In 1985, the Rajiv Gandhi government changed the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), and later with the public announcement of the newly drafted "National Education Policy 2020" by the Narendra Modi government, the Ministry of Human Resource Development was renamed back to the Ministry of Education. Currently, it has two departments:
- Department of School Education & Literacy
- Department of Higher Education
Where the Department of School Education & Literacy is responsible for the development of school education and literacy in the country whereas the Department of Higher Education takes care of what is one of the largest Higher Education systems in the world, just after the United States and China.
- The Department of School Education and Literacy- This department deals with primary, secondary, and higher secondary education, as well as adult education and literacy in India.
- The Department of Higher Education- This department deals with secondary, post-secondary, and university-level education, technical education, scholarships, and so on. The department is empowered to grant deemed university status to educational institutions on the advice given by the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India, under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act.
Objectives of the Education Ministry
The main objectives of the Ministry would be:
- Formulating the National Policy on Education and ensuring that it is implemented in letter and spirit
- The planned development includes expanding access and improving the quality of educational institutions throughout the country, including in the regions where people do not have easy access to education.
- Paying special attention to disadvantaged groups like the poor, females, and the minorities
- Provide financial help in the form of scholarships, loan subsidies, etc. to deserving students from deprived sections of society.
- Encouraging international cooperation in the field of education, including working closely with UNESCO and foreign governments as well as Universities, to enhance the educational opportunities in the country.
The Indian education system for a long time has faced the problem of inaccessibility and low-quality education that make Indians unemployable. Due to this, India cannot use its human capital's potential. Education is one of the vital tools that help a nation to develop and our education ministry has played a more significant role in regulating the well-education system in India. Education Ministers of India have played a pivotal role in the Education Ministry as they are the one who plans and deals with the needs of the population and provide a solution according to the need.