New Delhi,  Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has said India is the largest democratic educational ecosystem in the world, with as many as 34 crore children studying here, which is more than the entire population of many countries.

He said this while speaking at a high-level ministerial meeting convened by UNESCO on Monday.

He said India has 1.1 lakh teachers, and there are 10.5 lakh schools, 42,000 colleges and 1,043 universities in India.

The Minister said: "At least 10.5 lakh students from our (government) schools complete their matriculation every year. Annually, 80.2 lakh undergraduate and postgraduate degrees are offered in India and around 39,000 others are given Ph.D."

He also narrated the highlights of the new education policy at the UNESCO meeting.

Nishank spoke to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UNESCO's Education Ministers about the challenges being faced in the country and the work being done on the strategy of leaving no students behind.

He said: "Despite the remarkable size of the educational ecosystem in India, we have successfully ensured that every child living in the remotest parts of the country continues to receive education even in the times of pandemic. We have used digital, television, radio to ensure that no child is deprived of education."

He also explained in detail about the PM eVidya scheme launched under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said: "India believes in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is a family) and if necessary, sets school curriculum in Africa, in the Caribbean, in Asia, with our brothers and sisters on the same high standards as our Indian schools are. As you know the Indian school education system is very good in mathematics, science, technology and humanities. "

Assuring everyone of all assistance, Nishank said: "The world has faced this epidemic on many levels. Despite the grave difficulties, global communities have made every effort to meet this challenge. Today, we can move forward proudly helping each other and learning from each other's struggles. Only our collective efforts will make us stronger in this difficult time. "