- Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as India's education minister following weeks-long protests over an exam leak scandal.
- Pralhad Joshi has been appointed as India's new education minister and will also continue to serve as the minister of new and renewable energy and consumer affairs, food and public distribution.
- Joshi is seen as close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is one of the Modi government’s longest serving ministers. After his appointment, he expressed being grateful to Modi for the trust placed in him.
- Born in 1962 in Bijapur, Karnataka, Joshi graduated with a bachelor’s degree in arts from KS Arts College, Hubballi and cofounded a chemicals business.
- Joshi has been involved in politics from a young age, associating with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and began his political career in the early 1990s during the Hubballi Idgah Maidan issue. He became a BJP MP from Dharwad in 2004 and has won five straight parliamentary elections.
- He rose in the BJP as district president (1998) and Karnataka state president (2014). He joined Modi’s cabinet in 2019 and became minister of new and renewable energy in 2025, introducing reforms to increase coal production in 2024.
- One of the key challenges Joshi will face is addressing concerns over the education system, especially after the NEET exam leak scandal. Nearly 2.3 million test takers appeared for NEET this year competing for fewer than 130,000 spots.
- Joshi held his first meeting as education minister to assess the situation and implement new schemes.
Pralhad Joshi has taken over as India's education minister following Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation amid protests over an exam leak scandal. Joshi, who has a long political career and is close to Prime Minister Modi, aims to address pressing concerns regarding the education system.12341314
Joshi, born in 1962 in Karnataka, has been a member of the BJP since the early 1990s and has won five consecutive parliamentary elections. He previously held multiple cabinet positions, including minister of parliamentary affairs and coal. His appointment comes at a critical time, as the education sector faces scrutiny following the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) scandal, which affected nearly 2.3 million test takers vying for fewer than 130,000 medical college spots.678
In his first meeting as education minister, Joshi emphasized the need for reforms to restore faith in the education system. He expressed his commitment to addressing the challenges faced by young people in India, particularly in light of recent controversies surrounding the NEET exam.15
“I accept it with humility and a deep sense of duty,” Joshi stated on social media, highlighting his readiness to tackle the responsibilities of his new role. His leadership will be crucial in navigating the complexities of India's education landscape, especially as the government seeks to implement new schemes to improve the system.
“Pradhan resigned after weeks-long protests over the NEET exam leak scandal, which had nearly 2.3 million takers vying for under 130,000 spots. Joshi, already minister for new and renewable energy and consumer affairs, now leads education and held his first meeting Sunday.”
