With Dharmendra Pradhan resigning as Union Education Minister amid student protests over the NEET paper leak and irregularities in the CBSE’s on-screen marking system, he joins a long list of education ministers who have faced intense public scrutiny. Before him, Murli Manohar Joshi, Arjun Singh, Kapil Sibal and Smriti Irani all confronted major student agitations during their tenure.Murli Manohar JoshiBetween 1999 and 2004, the then Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Murli Manohar Joshi was accused of saffronising NCERT textbooks. On January 9, 2002, Joshi said the main objective behind the new curriculum and the consequent revision of NCERT textbooks was to lighten the burden on children and help them grow into knowledgeable citizens with a humane outlook.“The revolution in information technology, biotechnology and healthcare also demands inclusion in the books. As these are not fully Indo-centric and have more leanings towards the Western outlook, ancient Indian history needs to be incorporated to project a correct and balanced picture. For instance, there is no mention of India having given the world ‘zero’, without which mathematics would be incomplete. Similarly, our ancient scholars’ contribution to astronomy and our own systems of medicine should also find a place. Children should also be made to understand that all religions are equal and must be respected equally,” he had said.In 2003, Joshi resigned after a special court in Rae Bareli decided to frame charges against him and others in the Babri Masjid demolition case.Arjun SinghAfter the UPA came to power, Congress leader Arjun Singh became the HRD Minister. In 2006, he announced the implementation of 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in higher educational institutions, including 20 Central universities, the IITs, NITs, IIMs, AIIMS and IISc. He told Parliament that, in accordance with the 93rd Constitutional Amendment, the government would provide reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs in private unaided institutions.The move was met with strong opposition from AIIMS doctors and students from IITs across the country. Medical students protesting in New Delhi were lathi-charged.Kapil SibalIn 2013, Delhi University introduced the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) to replace the traditional three-year undergraduate degree. The move faced widespread opposition from students and teachers’ groups. After the NDA came to power in 2014, the University Grants Commission (UGC) directed Delhi University to scrap the programme. The “no detention” policy under the Right to Education (RTE) Act also came under criticism from several states, which blamed the policy of automatic promotion till Class VIII for adversely affecting students’ interest in academics.Smriti IraniIn July 2015, the University of Hyderabad terminated the stipend of 26-year-old PhD scholar Rohith Vemula. Vemula had raised issues of caste injustice under the banner of the Ambedkar Students’ Association (ASA). A month later, the university set up an inquiry against Vemula and four other ASA members, two days after an alleged assault on ABVP leader N Susheel Kumar.By December 2015, Vemula and the four others were suspended from the university and barred from using hostel and common spaces. Vemula began a hunger strike on January 3, 2016, and died by suicide on January 17, triggering nationwide protests. Irani was shifted to the Textiles Ministry in July 2016 as part of a Cabinet reshuffle.