How coronavirus education crisis has made HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘more visible’

Long missing from the limelight even when the HRD ministry lurched from one crisis to the other, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ routinely makes the headlines these days.

HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal | ANI Photos

New Delhi: When India began taking measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus disease in the first two weeks of March, education institutions were the first to shut down and various exams have since been postponed with the sector emerging as one of the worst affected by the lockdown.  

It was then that the country saw more of its Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.

Long missing from the limelight even when the HRD ministry lurched from one crisis to the other — from the fee hike in Jawaharlal Nehru University, attack on students in Jamia Millia  Islamia to the row over the National Education Policy (NEP) —  Nishank routinely makes the headlines and front pages these days.  

He interacts a lot more with stakeholders, the media and even parents and students as the lockdown drags on. His ministry has also worked over time and in less than two months, has come up with an alternate academic calendar for schools, which was developed by the NCERT; issued guidelines for colleges and universities that were prepared with the help of expert committees, and even launched a portal — Yukti, which lists all the achievements of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).  

Increased public interaction

In the last month-and-a-half, Nishank’s interactions with the media, various stakeholders and his public outreach have all become a lot more prominent.  

He routinely tweets video messages to students and teachers, appealing to them to stay connected through online education mode while also seeking suggestions. 

He has held a live interaction with parents, where he tried to answer their queries about exams and the new academic session. He plans to hold another such live interaction with students to answer their queries.

“In the last year, he has not made any substantial statement on his vision about how he wants the education sector in the country to shape up,” a ministry source said. “The New Education Policy, the draft for which was released on the day he took over as the HRD Minister, has yet not reached the Cabinet. Given a background like this, many in the ministry thought that he was disinterested in the job.” 

The minister’s increased public presence is now noticeable to officers in his ministry and journalists covering the beat. While some say that his growing involvement is due to reduced political interactions, others point out that it is the “need of the hour”. 

“In times of a crisis like this, every minister is supposed to perform and work to the best of their abilities. They have directions to be more accessible to the public, to keep in constant touch with them and dispel any myths related to Corona,” said a highly placed source in the government. “It’s not just Nishank but all ministers have been asked to be more proactive. The Indian government wants to show its best face in the fight against the virus.”

The source added that Nishank has utilised this opportunity to become a visible face of the ministry. “Every minister has the pressure to perform,” the source added. “The Railway ministry and transport ministry are also doing a great job but the education minister has utilised the opportunity to appear before the public to his advantage.” 

‘Minister took time to warm-up’ 

Others added that his sudden visibility is not unplanned and that he just took time to warm up since taking over on 31 May 2019. 

“When he took over the ministry, he was very calculative about what he said,” said another HRD ministry officer. “He was not seen too much because he did not have a good understanding of the subject and also because there were some unnecessary controversies at the beginning. So he chose to remain away from the public glare.”

“Now that the country needs him to step up, he is proving to be a leader,” the officer added.

“In the first few months of his taking over as the minister, he would mostly be in Uttarakhand, his home state… He spent very less time in Delhi,” said a third HRD ministry officer. “Now that there is no option and there are no political engagements either, he is concentrating more on his core area, which is the education ministry.”

“It’s the need of the hour for him to work for the ministry he is incharge of and come up with workable solutions,” the officer added. “In times like these when everyone is supposed to be putting in extra effort, it is more important that they are seen doing so.”

Nishank’s close aides say he has been spending a considerable amount of time in office these days. “The minister starts work before 8 am everyday, with a routine news check,” said one of Nishank’s close aides. “He then calls up people in his office and checks the schedule. He is in office before 10 and stays late, sometimes even taking work back home.”