Minister of Education (India)

Head of the Indian Ministry of Education

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Minister of Education

Śikṣā Mantrī

Emblem of India

Flag of India

Incumbent
Dharmendra Pradhan

since 7 July 2021

Ministry of Education
Member of| Union Cabinet
Reports to| President of India
Prime Minister of India
Parliament of India
Residence| New Delhi, India
Nominator| Prime Minister of India
Appointer| President of India
on the advice of the Prime Minister
Term length| 5 year
Formation| 15 August 1947

The minister of education, formerly the minister of human resources development (1985–2020),[1] is the head of the Ministry of Education and one of the cabinet ministers of the Government of India.

## Cabinet ministers

[edit]

* Note: MoS, I/C – Minister of State (Independent Charge)

#  | Portrait  | Minister
(Birth-Death)
Constituency | Term of office  | Political party  | Ministry  | Prime Minister

|
|
|
|
|
|

| From  | To  | Period
Minister of Education
1  |  |  | Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
(1888–1958)
MP for United Provinces (1947–1952)
MP for Rampur (1952–1957) | 15 August
1947  | 13 May
1952  | 9 years, 245 days  | Indian National Congress | Nehru I | Jawaharlal Nehru
13 May
1952  | 17 April
1957  | Nehru II
Minister of Education and Scientific Research
(1)  |  |  | Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
(1888–1958)
MP for Gurgaon | 17 April
1957  | 22 February
1958  | 280 days  | Indian National Congress | Nehru III | Jawaharlal Nehru
2  |  |  | K. L. Shrimali
(1909–2000)
Rajya Sabha MP for Rajasthan
(MoS)  | 22 February
1958  | 10 April
1962  | 4 years, 47 days
Minister of Education
(2)  |  |  | K. L. Shrimali
(1909–2000)
Rajya Sabha MP for Rajasthan | 10 April
1962  | 31 August
1963  | 1 year, 143 days  | Indian National Congress | Nehru IV | Jawaharlal Nehru
3  |  |  | Humayun Kabir
(1906–1969)
MP for Basirhat | 31 August
1963  | 21 November
1963  | 82 days
4  |  |  | M. C. Chagla
(1900–1981)
Rajya Sabha MP for Maharashtra | 21 November
1963  | 27 May
1964  | 2 years, 357 days
27 May
1964  | 9 June
1964  | Nanda I | Gulzarilal Nanda
(Acting)
9 June
1964  | 11 January
1966  | Shastri | Lal Bahadur Shastri
11 January
1966  | 24 January
1966  | Nanda II | Gulzarilal Nanda
(Acting)
24 January
1966  | 13 November
1966  | Indira I | Indira Gandhi
5  |  |  | Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
(1905–1977)
Rajya Sabha MP for Assam | 14 November
1966  | 13 March
1967  | 119 days
6  |  |  | Triguna Sen
(1905–1998)
Rajya Sabha MP for Tripura | 16 March
1967  | 14 February
1969  | 1 year, 335 days  | Indira II
Minister of Education and Youth Services
7  |  |  | V. K. R. V. Rao
(1908–1991)
MP for Bellary | 14 February
1969  | 18 March
1971  | 2 years, 32 days  | Indian National Congress (R) | Indira II | Indira Gandhi
Minister of Education and Culture
8  |  |  | Siddhartha Shankar Ray
(1920–2010)
MP for Raiganj | 18 March
1971  | 20 March
1972  | 1 year, 2 days  | Indian National Congress (R) | Indira III | Indira Gandhi
9  |  |  | Saiyid Nurul Hasan
(1921–1993)
Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh
(MoS, I/C)  | 24 March
1972  | 24 March
1977  | 5 years, 0 days
10  |  |  | Pratap Chandra Chunder
(1919–2008)
MP for Calcutta North East | 24 March
1977  | 28 July
1979  | 2 years, 126 days  | Janata Party | Desai | Morarji Desai
11  |  |  | Karan Singh
(born 1931)
MP for Udhampur | 28 July
1979  | 14 January
1980  | 170 days  | Indian National Congress (Urs) | Charan Singh | Charan Singh
12  |  |  | B. Shankaranand
(1925–2009)
MP for Chikkodi | 14 January
1980  | 17 October
1980  | 277 days  | Indian National Congress (I) | Indira IV | Indira Gandhi
13  |  |  | Shankarrao Chavan
(1920–2004)
MP for Nanded | 17 October
1980  | 8 August
1981  | 295 days
14  |  |  | Sheila Kaul
(1915–2015)
MP for Raebareli
(MoS, I/C)  | 8 August
1981  | 31 October
1984  | 3 years, 145 days
31 October
1984  | 31 December
1984  | Rajiv I | Rajiv Gandhi
Minister of Education
15  |  |  | K. C. Pant
(1931–2012)
MP for New Delhi | 31 December
1984  | 25 September
1985  | 268 days  | Indian National Congress (I) | Rajiv II | Rajiv Gandhi
Minister of Human Resource Development
16  |  |  | P. V. Narasimha Rao
(1921–2004)
MP for Ramtek | 25 September
1985  | 25 June
1988  | 2 years, 274 days  | Indian National Congress (I) | Rajiv II | Rajiv Gandhi
16  |  |  | P. Shiv Shankar
(1929–2017)
Rajya Sabha MP for Gujarat | 25 June
1988  | 2 December
1989  | 1 year, 160 days
17  |  |  | V. P. Singh
(1931–2008)
MP for Fatehpur
(Prime Minister)  | 2 December
1989  | 10 November
1990  | 343 days  | Janata Dal | V. P. Singh | V. P. Singh
18  |  |  | Raj Mangal Pande
(1920–1993)
MP for Deoria | 21 November
1990  | 21 June
1991  | 212 days  | Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) | Chandra Shekhar | Chandra Shekhar
19  |  |  | Arjun Singh
(1930–2011)
MP for Satna | 23 June
1991  | 24 December
1994  | 3 years, 184 days  | Indian National Congress (I) | Rao | P. V. Narasimha Rao
20  |  |  | P. V. Narasimha Rao
(1921–2004)
MP for Nandyal
(Prime Minister)  | 24 December
1994  | 9 February
1995  | 47 days
21  |  |  | Madhavrao Scindia
(1945–2001)
MP for Gwalior | 9 February
1995  | 17 January
1996  | 342 days
–  |  |  | P. V. Narasimha Rao
(1921–2004)
MP for Nandyal
(Prime Minister)  | 17 January
1996  | 16 May
1996  | 120 days
22  |  |  | Atal Bihari Vajpayee
(1924–2018)
MP for Lucknow
(Prime Minister)  | 16 May
1996  | 1 June
1996  | 16 days  | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee I | Atal Bihari Vajpayee
23  |  |  | S. R. Bommai
(1927–2007)
Rajya Sabha MP for Odisha | 5 June
1996  | 21 April
1997  | 1 year, 286 days  | Janata Dal | Deve Gowda | H. D. Deve Gowda
21 April
1997  | 18 March
1998  | Gujral | Inder Kumar Gujral
24  |  |  | Murli Manohar Joshi
(born 1934)
MP for Allahabad | 19 March
1998  | 13 October
1999  | 6 years, 64 days  | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee II | Atal Bihari Vajpayee
13 October
1999  | 22 May
2004  | Vajpayee III
(19)  |  |  | Arjun Singh
(1930–2011)
Rajya Sabha MP for Madhya Pradesh | 23 May
2004  | 22 May
2009  | 4 years, 364 days  | Indian National Congress | Manmohan I | Manmohan Singh
25  |  |  | Kapil Sibal
(born 1948)
MP for Chandni Chowk | 28 May
2009  | 28 October
2012  | 3 years, 153 days  | Manmohan II
26  |  |  | M. M. Pallam Raju
(born 1962)
MP for Kakinada | 28 October
2012  | 26 May
2014  | 1 year, 210 days
27  |  |  | Smriti Irani
(born 1976)
Rajya Sabha MP for Gujarat | 27 May
2014  | 5 July
2016  | 2 years, 39 days  | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi I | Narendra Modi
28  |  |  | Prakash Javadekar
(born 1951)
Rajya Sabha MP for Madhya Pradesh,
till 2018
Rajya Sabha MP for Maharashtra, from 2018 | 5 July
2016  | 30 May
2019  | 2 years, 329 days
29  |  |  | Ramesh Pokhriyal
(born 1959)
MP for Haridwar | 31 May
2019  | 29 July
2020  | 1 year, 59 days  | Modi II
Minister of Education
(29)  |  |  | Ramesh Pokhriyal
(born 1959)
MP for Haridwar | 29 July
2020  | 7 July
2021  | 343 days  | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi II | Narendra Modi
30  |  |  | Dharmendra Pradhan
(born 1969)
MP for Sambalpur | 7 July
2021  | Incumbent | 3 years, 237 days
Modi III

## Ministers of state

[edit]

#  | Portrait  | Minister
(Birth-Death)
Constituency | Term of office  | Political party  | Ministry  | Prime Minister

|
|
|
|
|
|

From  | To  | Period
Minister of State for Education and Scientific Research
1  |  |  | K. L. Shrimali
(1909–2000)
Rajya Sabha MP for Rajasthan
(MoS)  | 17 April
1957  | 22 February
1958  | 280 days  | Indian National Congress | Nehru III | Jawaharlal Nehru
Minister of State for Education
2  |  |  | Ramchandra Martand Hajarnavis
(1908–1976)
MP for Bhandara
(Minister of Cultural Affairs)  | 13 June
1964  | 29 October
1965  | 1 year, 138 days  | Indian National Congress | Shastri | Lal Bahadur Shastri
3  |  |  | Sher Singh Kadyan
(1917–2009)
MP for Rohtak | 13 March
1967  | 14 February
1969  | 1 year, 338 days  | Indira II | Indira Gandhi
4  |  |  | Bhagwat Jha Azad
(1922–2011)
MP for Bhagalpur
Minister of State for Education and Youth Services
5  |  |  | Bhakt Darshan
(1912–1991)
MP for Garhwal | 18 February
1969  | 18 March
1971  | 2 years, 28 days  | Indian National Congress (R) | Indira II | Indira Gandhi
Minister of State for Education and Culture
6  |  |  | Saiyid Nurul Hasan
(1921–1993)
Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh | 4 October
1971  | 24 March
1972  | 172 days  | Indian National Congress (R) | Indira III | Indira Gandhi
7  |  |  | Dhanna Singh Gulshan
MP for Bathinda | 14 August
1977  | 28 July
1979  | 1 year, 348 days  | Janata Party | Desai | Morarji Desai
8  |  |  | Renuka Devi Barkataki
(1932–2017)
MP for Gauhati | 16 August
1977  | 1 year, 346 days
9  |  |  | Rashida Haque Choudhury
MP for Silchar | 30 July
1979  | 14 January
1980  | 168 days  | Janata Party (Secular) | Charan Singh | Charan Singh
10  |  |  | Sheila Kaul
(1915–2015)
MP for Raebareli | 24 November
1980  | 8 August
1981  | 257 days  | Indian National Congress (I) | Indira IV | Indira Gandhi
Minister of State for Human Resource Development
11  |  |  | Margaret Alva
(born 1942)
Rajya Sabha MP for Karnataka
(Women and Child Development,
Youth Affairs and Sports)  | 25 September
1985  | 2 December
1989  | 4 years, 68 days  | Indian National Congress (I) | Rajiv II | Rajiv Gandhi
12  |  |  | Sushila Rohatgi
(1921–2011)
Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh
(Education and Culture)  | 12 May
1986  | 229 days
13  |  |  | Krishna Sahi
(born 1931)
MP for Begusarai
(Education and Culture, until 1988;
Culture, from 1988)  | 12 May
1986  | 2 December
1989  | 3 years, 204 days
14  |  |  | Laliteshwar Prasad Shahi
(1920–2018)
MP for Muzaffarpur
(Education and Culture, until 1989;
Education, from 1989)  | 14 February
1988  | 1 year, 291 days
15  |  |  | M. G. K. Menon
(1928–2016)
Rajya Sabha MP for Rajasthan
(Education)  | 20 January
1990  | 23 April
1990  | 93 days  | Janata Dal | V. P. Singh | V. P. Singh
16  |  |  | Chimanbhai Mehta
(1925–2010)
Rajya Sabha MP for Gujarat | 23 April
1990  | 10 November
1990  | 201 days
17  |  |  | Bhagey Gobardhan
(1934–1993)
MP for Mayurbhanj | 21 November
1990  | 20 February
1991  | 91 days  | Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) | Chandra Shekhar | Chandra Shekhar
18  |  |  | Mamata Banerjee
(born 1955)
MP for Calcutta South
(Youth Affairs and Sports;
Women and Child Development)  | 21 June
1991  | 17 January
1993  | 1 year, 210 days  | Indian National Congress (I) | Rao | P. V. Narasimha Rao
19  |  |  | Mukul Wasnik
(born 1959)
MP for Buldhana
(Youth Affairs and Sports)  | 18 January
1993  | 16 May
1996  | 3 years, 119 days
20  |  |  | Basavarajeshwari
(1921–2008)
MP for Bellary | 19 January
1993  | 15 September
1995  | 2 years, 239 days
21  |  |  | Selja Kumari
(born 1962)
MP for Sirsa
(Education and Culture)  | 15 September
1995  | 16 May
1996  | 244 days
22  |  |  | Krupasindhu Bhoi
(born 1942)
MP for Sambalpur
(Education)
23  |  |  | Vimla Verma
(1929–2019)
MP for Seoni
(Women and Child Development)
24  |  |  | Kanti Singh
(born 1957)
MP for Bikramganj | 1 June
1996  | 29 June
1996  | 28 days  | Janata Dal | Deve Gowda | H. D. Deve Gowda
25  |  |  | Muhi Ram Saikia
(1923–2007)
MP for Nowgong
(Education)  | 29 June
1996  | 21 April
1997  | 296 days  | Asom Gana Parishad
26  |  |  | R. Dhanuskodi Athithan
(born 1953)
MP for Tiruchendur
(Youth Affairs and Sports)  | Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar)
(25)  |  |  | Muhi Ram Saikia
(1923–2007)
MP for Nowgong
(Education)  | 21 April
1997  | 19 March
1998  | 332 days  | Asom Gana Parishad | Gujral | Inder Kumar Gujral
(26)  |  |  | R. Dhanuskodi Athithan
(born 1953)
MP for Tiruchendur
(Youth Affairs and Sports)  | 1 May
1997  | 322 days  | Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar)
27  |  |  | Uma Bharti
(born 1959)
MP for Khajuraho | 19 March
1998  | 13 October
1999  | 1 year, 208 days  | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee II | Atal Bihari Vajpayee
28  |  |  | Sumitra Mahajan
(born 1943)
MP for Indore | 13 October
1999  | 1 July
2002  | 2 years, 261 days  | Vajpayee III
29  |  |  | Jaisingrao Gaikwad Patil
(born 1949)
MP for Beed | 27 May
2000  | 227 days
30  |  |  | Syed Shahnawaz Hussain
(born 1968)
MP for Kishanganj | 30 September
2000  | 8 February
2001  | 131 days
31  |  |  | Rita Verma
(born 1953)
MP for Dhanbad | 1 September
2001  | 29 January
2003  | 1 year, 150 days
32  |  |  | Jaskaur Meena
(born 1947)
MP for Dausa | 29 January
2003  | 22 May
2004  | 1 year, 114 days
33  |  |  | Ashok Kumar Pradhan
(born 1953)
MP for Khurja | 29 January
2003  | 24 May
2003  | 115 days
34  |  |  | Vallabhbhai Kathiria
(born 1954)
MP for Rajkot | 30 January
2003  | 9 January
2004  | 344 days
35  |  |  | Sanjay Paswan
(born 1962)
MP for Nawada | 24 May
2003  | 22 May
2004  | 364 days
36  |  |  | Mohammad Ali Ashraf Fatmi
(born 1956)
MP for Darbhanga
(School Education and Literacy)  | 23 May
2004  | 22 May
2009  | 4 years, 364 days  | Rashtriya Janata Dal | Manmohan I | Manmohan Singh
(24)  |  |  | Kanti Singh
(born 1957)
MP for Arrah
(Higher Education)  | 23 May
2004  | 29 January
2006  | 1 year, 251 days
37  |  |  | Daggubati Purandeswari
(born 1959)
MP for Bapatla (till 2009)
MP for Visakhapatnam (from 2009)
(Higher Education)  | 29 January
2006  | 22 May
2009  | 3 years, 113 days  | Indian National Congress
28 May
2009  | 28 October
2012  | 3 years, 153 days  | Manmohan II
38  |  |  | E. Ahamed
(1938–2017)
MP for Malappuram
(School Education and Literacy)  | 12 July
2011  | 1 year, 108 days  | Indian Union Muslim League
39  |  |  | Jitin Prasada
(born 1973)
MP for Dhaurahra | 28 October
2012  | 26 May
2014  | 1 year, 210 days  | Indian National Congress
40  |  |  | Shashi Tharoor
(born 1956)
MP for Thiruvananthapuram
41  |  |  | Upendra Kushwaha
(born 1960)
MP for Karakat
(School Education and Literacy)  | 9 November
2014  | 11 December
2018  | 4 years, 32 days  | Rashtriya Lok Samta Party | Modi I | Narendra Modi
42  |  |  | Ram Shankar Katheria
(born 1964)
MP for Agra
(Higher Education)  | 5 July
2016  | 1 year, 239 days  | Bharatiya Janata Party
43  |  |  | Mahendra Nath Pandey
(born 1957)
MP for Chandauli
(Higher Education)  | 5 July
2017  | 3 September
2017  | 60 days
44  |  |  | Satya Pal Singh
(born 1955)
MP for Baghpat
(Higher Education)  | 3 September
2017  | 30 May
2019  | 1 year, 269 days
45  |  |  | Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre
(born 1959)
MP for Akola | 31 May
2019  | 29 July
2020  | 1 year, 59 days  | Modi II
Minister of State for Education
45  |  |  | Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre
(born 1959)
MP for Akola | 29 July
2020  | 7 July
2021  | 343 days  | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi II | Narendra Modi
46  |  |  | Annpurna Devi
(born 1970)
MP for Kodarma
(School Education and Literacy)  | 7 July
2021  | 9 June
2024  | 2 years, 338 days
47  |  |  | Subhas Sarkar
(born 1953)
MP for Bankura
(Higher Education)
48  |  |  | Rajkumar Ranjan Singh
(born 1952)
MP for Inner Manipur
(Higher Education)
49  |  | Sukanta Majumder
(born 1979)
MP for Balurghat
(Higher Education)  | 10 June
2024  | Incumbent | 264 days  | Modi III
50  |  |  | Jayant Chaudhary
(born 1978)
Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh
(Higher Education)  | 10 June
2024  | Incumbent | 264 days  | Rashtriya Lok Dal |

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "HRD Ministry Renamed as Ministry of Education as Modi Cabinet Reverses Change Made by Rajiv Gandhi". News18. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* List of HRD Ministers

* v
* t
* e

Government ministries of India

President (List) • Vice President (List) • Government of India • Prime Minister (List • Office) • Deputy Prime Minister • Council of Ministers

Current|

| Key|

* Defence
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|

Economy & Industry|

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* Corporate Affairs
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* Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
* Information and Broadcasting
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Infrastructure|

* Development of North Eastern Region
* Jal Shakti
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Food|

* Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare
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* Coal
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General Administration|

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Defunct|

* Communications and Information Technology
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Ministers|

* Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare
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Secretaries|

* Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister
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| Current|

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Defunct|

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