The Union Minister of Human Resource Development Smriti Zubin Irani had a meeting with Director General, UNESCO Ms. Irina Bokova. Ms. Bokova is on a three days visit to India on the invitation of the Union Minister of HRD. In the meeting, the Union HRD Minister welcomed DG, UNESCO and highlighted India’s achievements in Education for All and the new policy initiatives to consolidate on these achievements. The initiatives like “Beti Bachao- Beti Padhao”, Use of ICT in Education, Introduction of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) as a massive platform for on-line learning, Emphasis on skill development for Make-in-India campaign, Quality of Education, Unnat Bharat Abhiyan and Initiatives for inclusive education etc. were discussed in the meeting. She also emphasized on strengthening the cooperation with UNESCO across all the areas of UNESCO’s competence. The Union Minister of HRD thanked the Director General UNESCO for relocating the statue of Shri Aurobindo in the UNESCO premises in Paris.
DG, UNESCO appreciated the initiatives taken by the Government of India in education and other sectors and highlighted the emerging role of India as a leader in different areas of socio-economic development, particularly for sustainable development. She also appreciated the achievements of India in different areas like Education, Culture, Heritage, Oceanography, Communication and Natural Sciences. DG UNESCO also commended the Swachachh Bharat Abhiyan and emphasized that it will have long term implications on the quality of life of the people in India.