Union Minister of Education leads India's academic policy. This role involves managing national school curricula, higher education institutions, and main literacy schemes. Leadership of this ministry has changed since independence in 1947. It worked as Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) from 1985 to 2020.
Details are given below for the list of Union Education Ministers and the current minister's profile.
Current Education Minister - Pralhad Joshi
Pralhad Joshi took charge as Union Minister of Education on July 26, 2026, after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned. He previously managed other main areas. These included Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, and New & Renewable Energy.
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi |
| Date of Birth | 27 November 1962 |
| Birth Place | Vijayapura, Karnataka |
| Political Party | Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) |
| Education | Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) |
| College | K.S. Arts College, Hubballi |
| University | Karnataka University, Dharwad |
| Lok Sabha Constituency | Dharwad, Karnataka |
| First Elected to Lok Sabha | 2004 |
| Lok Sabha Terms | 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019 and 2024 |
| Major Political Roles | BJP Karnataka President; Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs; Union Minister of Coal and Mines |
| Current Position | Union Cabinet Minister |
| Profession | Politician and Businessperson |
Union Education Ministers of India Complete List 1947 to 2026
| Education Minister | Term of Office | Political Party |
|---|---|---|
| Maulana Abul Kalam Azad | 15 Aug 1947 - 22 Feb 1958 | Indian National Congress |
| K. L. Shrimali | 22 Feb 1958 - 31 Aug 1963 | Indian National Congress |
| Humayun Kabir | 31 Aug 1963 - 21 Nov 1963 | Indian National Congress |
| M. C. Chagla | 21 Nov 1963 - 13 Nov 1966 | Indian National Congress |
| Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed | 14 Nov 1966 - 13 Mar 1967 | Indian National Congress |
| Triguna Sen | 16 Mar 1967 - 14 Feb 1969 | Indian National Congress |
| V. K. R. V. Rao | 14 Feb 1969 - 18 Mar 1971 | Indian National Congress (R) |
| Siddhartha Shankar Ray | 18 Mar 1971 - 20 Mar 1972 | Indian National Congress (R) |
| Saiyid Nurul Hasan | 24 Mar 1972 - 24 Mar 1977 | Indian National Congress (R) |
| Pratap Chandra Chunder | 24 Mar 1977 - 28 Jul 1979 | Janata Party |
| Karan Singh | 28 Jul 1979 - 14 Jan 1980 | Indian National Congress (Urs) |
| B. Shankaranand | 14 Jan 1980 - 17 Oct 1980 | Indian National Congress (I) |
| Shankarrao Chavan | 17 Oct 1980 - 8 Aug 1981 | Indian National Congress (I) |
| Sheila Kaul | 8 Aug 1981 - 31 Dec 1984 | Indian National Congress (I) |
| K. C. Pant | 31 Dec 1984 - 25 Sep 1985 | Indian National Congress (I) |
| P. V. Narasimha Rao | 25 Sep 1985 - 25 Jun 1988 | Indian National Congress (I) |
| P. Shiv Shankar | 25 Jun 1988 - 2 Dec 1989 | Indian National Congress (I) |
| V. P. Singh | 2 Dec 1989 - 10 Nov 1990 | Janata Dal |
| Raj Mangal Pande | 21 Nov 1990 - 21 Jun 1991 | Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) |
| Arjun Singh | 23 Jun 1991 - 24 Dec 1994 | Indian National Congress |
| P. V. Narasimha Rao | 24 Dec 1994 - 9 Feb 1995 | Indian National Congress |
| Madhavrao Scindia | 9 Feb 1995 - 17 Jan 1996 | Indian National Congress |
| P. V. Narasimha Rao | 17 Jan 1996 - 16 May 1996 | Indian National Congress |
| Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 16 May 1996 - 1 Jun 1996 | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| S. R. Bommai | 5 Jun 1996 - 19 Mar 1998 | Janata Dal |
| Murli Manohar Joshi | 19 Mar 1998 - 22 May 2004 | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Arjun Singh | 23 May 2004 - 22 May 2009 | Indian National Congress |
| Kapil Sibal | 28 May 2009 - 28 Oct 2012 | Indian National Congress |
| M. M. Pallam Raju | 28 Oct 2012 - 26 May 2014 | Indian National Congress |
| Smriti Irani | 26 May 2014 - 5 Jul 2016 | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Prakash Javadekar | 5 Jul 2016 - 30 May 2019 | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Ramesh Pokhriyal | 30 May 2019 - 7 Jul 2021 | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Dharmendra Pradhan | 7 Jul 2021 - 25 Jul 2026 | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Pralhad Joshi | 26 Jul 2026 - Incumbent | Bharatiya Janata Party |
