Schools Must Be Entrusted to Society: Pradhan Calls for Unified Plan for Samagra Shiksha 2026–27
Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan being felicitated during the consultation on Reimagining Samagra Shiksha 3.0 in New Delhi on Friday.
NEW DELHI: Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday called for a nationwide, unified plan to take Samagra Shiksha into its next phase, stressing that schools must once again be entrusted to society to ensure holistic and inclusive learning outcomes.
Chairing a day-long consultation titled Reimagining Samagra Shiksha at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, Pradhan said the third phase of the flagship school education scheme must be outcome-oriented, globally competitive, and aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat.
The meeting brought together education secretaries, state project directors from 11 states and Union Territories, senior officials from sectoral ministries, and education experts to develop a strategic and implementable roadmap for Samagra Shiksha 3.0.
Pradhan underlined that the goal of a developed India by 2047 hinges on universal access to quality education and 100 per cent enrolment up to Class XII. He highlighted key challenges including learning gaps, dropouts, teacher capacity, nutrition outcomes, and the need to move beyond the Macaulay mindset while nurturing critical skills among students.
Calling the consultations timely, Pradhan said the ideas and best practices shared would help reimagine Samagra Shiksha as a responsive framework rooted in Indian values while leveraging technology for wider access to knowledge.
He urged all stakeholders to work collectively on a robust annual plan for the 2026–27 academic year and take the programme forward as a nationwide movement, five years after the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020.
Minister of state Jayant Chaudhary said Samagra Shiksha 3.0 reflects a bottom-up approach where schools act as agents of change. He noted that integrating skilling, vocational pathways, digital learning, and inclusion within a multidisciplinary framework would better prepare students for a rapidly changing economy.
A presentation by additional secretary Dheeraj Sahu outlined progress under Samagra Shiksha and NEP 2020, identifying access, equity, quality, teacher development, digital education, and outcome-based learning as focus areas for the coming years.
Samagra Shiksha is a centrally sponsored scheme covering the entire school education continuum from pre-primary to senior secondary level under a holistic framework.
