Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday said that the Indian education system should promote innovation."Innovation is the key to the country's development. Therefore, our education system should promote innovation," he said at a discussion on the new National Education Policy here.Recalling an anecdote from his visit to Apple Inc's factory in the US, he said: "In 1998, as chairman of the IT task force in Maharashtra, I visited Apple's factory in the US, where Steve Jobs told me he would make a phone with a camera, recording and other features of a smart phone. It all sounded like a dream then, but now we all believe it. This is innovation."
He also stressed the importance of making education affordable and accessible to all."We have to work towards making education accessible and affordable to all. Otherwise, how would a poor man learn," Javadekar asked. The minister asked the public to give suggestions on the upcoming education policy by July 31."We have uploaded the draft of the new education policy on the Internet. We want people to send as many suggestions as possible as I believe education is a national mission," the HRD Minister added.