Dharmendra Pradhan continues to head the Ministry of Education in the third term of the NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 72-member Union Council of Ministers in the Modi 3.0 government includes 30 cabinet ministers and five ministers of state (independent charge). The ministers were administered the oath of office by President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday, June 9. Pradhan has served as a Union Minister in PM Modi’s two previous terms as well, handling portfolios including petroleum and natural gas, education and skill development. In the Prime Minister’s first term, Ramesh Pokhriyal served as the education minister from 2014 till the cabinet was reshuffled on July 7, 2021. The Education Ministry of Education is divided into two departments – the Department of School Education and Literacy and the Department of Higher Education. The Department of School Education and Literacy handles the primary, secondary and higher secondary education, adult education and literacy. The university-level education, technical education, scholarships and other related activities are managed by the Department of Higher Education.
