Education: Every year, National Education Day 2024 is celebrated on November 11 in India, in honour of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Education Minister of independent India and a prominent educationist on his birth anniversary. This day highlights the importance of education in shaping India's future. 

In order to promote education across the country, the government has taken significant steps through various initiatives and constitutional provisions, to ensure every child receives quality elementary education in formal school.

On the occasion of National Education Day 2024, let's check what are the latest schemes launched by centre to promote education. Have a look.

List of latest schemes launched by centre to promote education 

PM Vidyalaxmi Scheme: Recently, the government has launched the PM Vidyalaxmi Scheme for a brighter future for meritorious students. Under this scheme, meritorious students will get financial support from the government for their quality higher education. This scheme offers education loans for students admitted to the top 860 institutions across India, benefiting over 22 lakh students each year. With a budget allocation of Rs. 3,600 crore from 2024-25 to 2030-31, the scheme aims to assist an additional 7 lakh students. The government has implemented this scheme through a fully digital, transparent, and student-centric platform, PM-Vidyalaxmi ensures easy access and smooth interoperability for students nationwide.

NIRF Ranking: On September 29, 2015, the Ministry of Education launched the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), which marked a pivotal step toward enhancing the quality and accessibility of higher education in India. It introduced a structured and transparent system for assessing and ranking universities, colleges, and other institutions, fostering healthy competition and encouraging improvements in education and infrastructure.

SWAYAM Plus: It was launched officially on February 27 by Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan. The objective of this scheme was to revolutionize higher education and improve employability by implementing an innovative credit recognition system for industry-relevant courses, emphasizing skill development, and employability, and forging stronger industry partnerships.

NISHTHA: The NISHTHA (National Initiative for School Heads' and Teachers' Holistic Advancement) was launched on 21st August 2019, by the Ministry of Education. It aims to enhance the professional development of 42 lakh elementary teachers and school heads.

PRERNA: Its pilot phase launched from January 15, 2024, to February 17, 2024, at a vernacular school in Vadnagar, Gujarat. This is a week-long residential program designed for selected students from class IX to XII. The initiative aims to offer an experimental and inspirational learning experience through state-of-the-art technology. 

ULLAS:  This initiative is also known as Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram (New India Literacy Programme - NILP). The government launched this programme for 2022-2027. This initiative is aligned with the NEP 2020 and aims to empower adults aged 15 and above, especially those who missed out on formal schooling.

PM SHRI: This scheme was launched on 7th September 2022, and aims to strengthen over 14,500 schools across India, showcasing the components of the National Education Policy 2020. This initiative offers to foster quality education, cognitive development, and 21st-century skills in students. This scheme will be implemented over five years (2022-2027), with a central share of Rs 18,128 crore.

Vidyanjali: It was launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 7th September 2021. This scheme aims to enhance the quality of education in schools by fostering community involvement and encouraging contributions from corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and the private sector across the country. 

Vidya Pravesh: The government released the guidelines for the three-month play-based school preparation module for Grade-I children were released on 29th July 2021. The objective of this scheme is to provide a warm and welcoming environment for children entering Grade I, ensuring a smooth transition and fostering a positive learning experience.

NIPUN Bharat: The Department of School Education & Literacy launched the National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat) on July 5th, 2021. The objective of this mission is to ensure that every child in the country achieves foundational literacy and numeracy by the end of Grade 3, with a target completion by 2026-27.

Samagra Shiksha was launched on April 1, 2021. It was launched for five years, ending on March 31, 2026. This initiative aims to provide quality education with an inclusive and equitable classroom environment for all children, addressing their diverse backgrounds and needs, aligned with the NEP 2020 recommendations. 

NEP 2020: It was launched on July 29, 2020, and aims to overhaul India's education system to better align with the needs of the 21st century, fostering a more inclusive and forward-thinking approach.

DIKSHA: This scheme was launched on September 27, 2017, by the Hon’ble Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu. The objective of this scheme is to enhance teacher training and professional development by accelerating innovative solutions and experiments in education.