New Delhi: Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday said that education must remain at the core of India's development agenda, adding that the country's journey to becoming a $35 trillion economy by 2047 hinges on universal access to high-quality and inclusive education.

Speaking at a seminar on “School Education in India: Towards Equitable Access to Quality Education for All” organised by the Council for Social Development, Puri highlighted the significant strides made in the education sector since the constitutional guarantee of the Right to Education (RTE).

Recalling key reforms, the minister said the 86th Constitutional Amendment in 2002, enacted under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government, made free and compulsory education for children aged 6-14 years a fundamental right. He said this laid the foundation for the RTE Act in 2009 and that its implementation has gained momentum under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi since 2014.

Quoting data from UDISE and ASER reports, Puri noted that the youth literacy rate has climbed to nearly 97 per cent, and the gender literacy gap has narrowed. Primary school enrolment has risen from 84 per cent to 96 per cent, while upper primary enrolment increased from 62 per cent to 90 per cent. The teacher-pupil ratio has improved from 42:1 to 24:1, and schools with girls' toilets now stand at 91 per cent, up from 30 per cent. Electricity access in schools has jumped from 20 per cent to 86 per cent, while dropout rates have fallen from 9.1 per cent to 1.5 per cent, he added.

The minister also paid tribute to Prof. Muchkund Dubey, in whose honour the Muchkund Dubey Centre for Right to Education was established. He inaugurated the Centre's first event and praised Dubey as a mentor, diplomat, and a committed advocate of educational equity.