To The Honorable Prime Minister of India
H.E. Mr. Narendra Modi

Request to formulate India’s National Statement of Commitment for the Transforming Education Summit scheduled to take place on 19 September 2022 in New York, USA, during the 77 UN General Assembly.

Respected Sir,

Namaste! I hope you are healthy and happy with all your amazing work for the nation. I am Himanshu Kumar, from Ranchi, Jharkhand – a theater artist using art as an advocacy tool for different social issues. I am a member of the Transforming Education Action Group, which is supported by the United Nations Foundation under the Unlock the Future Coalition.

I am writing this letter to request the active participation of the Indian government in the Transforming Education Summit happening from 19 September 2022 in New York, during the 77^th UN General Assembly. This Summit is bringing together various stakeholders of education for a global dialogue to reimagine the future of education. The Summit aims to formulate national and international commitments to transform education. I also request you to draft and submit our National Statement of Commitment for the Transforming Education Summit. 

Sir, as a young person, mine and most of the young person’s demand is employment. We all know unemployment is a very big problem in our country and after the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation is even more serious. Unemployment is a result of skill and practical knowledge gaps among middle and poor class people. In India, we find a gap in the quality of education between public schools and expensive schools. The poorer classes can’t afford quality education because it is too expensive. Most of the schools or colleges or universities are providing only theoretical or book-based knowledge. Practical knowledge and life skills are missing, that is why young people are not capable of jobs even based on their education. 

I give an example during my schooling. I always read that sodium starts to burn itself in the presence of air but I never saw this or experienced this practically due to lack of labs and practical classes. And it’s just one example in most of the educational institutions both lower and higher, there is no place for young people’s all round development. Even many institutions don’t have the required infrastructure and faculty members. 

I know you have more in-depth knowledge with reports and data regarding our education system and that’s why I think it is high time to take a pledge and action. As a young person, I want a global action to transform education which will be equitable and accessible for everyone. The Transforming Education Summit is a great place to participate and have dialogue on the new era of education. 

That’s why, dear Prime Minister, I request you to formulate India’s National Statement of Commitment for the Summit by August 2022 including:

• Better policies to fill this educational gap between young people from expensive institutions and affordable institutions for the middle and poor classes. 
• Investing in infrastructure related to all round development of young people. 
• Taking strong actions to achieve the goals of SDG 4 (Quality Education) and Vision 2030. 
• National consultations for developing a shared vision, commitment, and alignment of action across constituencies to transform education between now and 2030.
• Focus on increasing the digital access of marginalized communities for online education. 
• Inclusion of young people in the consultations to draft or improve policies regarding quality education. 
• More funding for education. 
• Making and implementing schemes from the school level to educate our people on the SDGs. 
• Improving our education system in such a way that can motivate young people to save our Indian culture, art, ancient science, and most important diversity. 

I would also like to share that at the Transforming Education Action Group, we are preparing to engage at the Summit and discuss together what transformations we would like to see in our education systems. They are summarized in the submission we sent to Deputy Secretary-General  

I really believe you will take our suggestions described in this letter very seriously and look forward to India’s commitment and efforts for transforming education and making this world sustainable for everyone. 

Thank You,

Himanshu Kumar