Reimagining higher education

India’s higher education system stands at a transformative crossroads where national aspirations meet global expectations. With over 1,100 universities and 40 million students, the challenge today is not access but excellence—achieving self-reliance, innovation, and employability at a global standard.

The India Skills Report 2025 offers a mixed picture: Kerala records an employability rate of 90.94%, but many states lag behind, exposing deep disparities in academic quality and skill preparedness. Bridging these divides is essential if India is to emerge as a true knowledge superpower.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is India’s most ambitious education reform yet, urging universities to blend Indian ethos with global competitiveness. Complementing it, the National Research Foundation (NRF) seeks to build a vibrant research ecosystem and make India an international hub for innovation and intellectual property.

Yet, challenges persist. According to the Economic Survey 2023-2024, India’s R&D spending is just 0.64% of its gross domestic product -- far below China’s 2.4% and the United States’ 3.5%. Only 36% of India’s research funding comes from the private sector, compared with around 75% in the US and China. This imbalance highlights the need for stronger academia-industry-government links.

While leading private universities can nurture innovators up to Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) -- and even product manufacturing – India’s scale demands a broader framework. Each state should establish an Innovation Council comprising academia, industry, and government to evaluate student ideas, set benchmarks, and link innovators to venture capital and manufacturing networks. Such councils would speed India’s transition from lab to market, ensuring creativity finds real-world expression through mentorship, funding, and go-to-market strategies.

Self-reliance in education is not isolation; it is confidence -- the ability to produce globally competent graduates while staying rooted in local contexts. Digital technology will be central to this shift. Initiatives like SWAYAM, NPTEL, and UGC-approved online degrees have already democratised learning. As India advances towards the 6G revolution, online and blended learning must reach every learner. Regulations should encourage quality while ensuring affordability. Backed by public schemes and institutional partnerships, this digital infrastructure can make higher education truly inclusive -- ensuring that no learner is left behind.

Self-reliance must go hand-in-hand with inclusivity. Universities should be required to offer merit-cum-need-based scholarships to support promising students from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

Employability remains the Achilles heel of Indian higher education. Outdated curricula and weak industry linkages leave many graduates ill-equipped for modern workplaces. A National Talent Pipeline Consortium -- bringing together academia, government, and industry -- could develop standardised, future-ready curricula.

Leading companies could help define baseline competencies in AI, data analytics, sustainable manufacturing, and emerging technologies. Universities could then customise 20–30% of the curriculum to suit local needs. The Entrepreneurship Mindset Course (EMC) launched by the Punjab government is an excellent example. Targeting five lakh students by 2028-2029, it integrates entrepreneurial thinking with practical business skills. 

Beyond coursework, universities should foster AI-integrated, interdisciplinary learning, where social sciences intersect with technology and ethics. This will produce graduates who
are not only technically skilled but also empathetic and globally aware.

The next leap must come from embedding apprenticeship-based and cooperative education (co-op) models within degree structures. The government, through NIRF and accreditation frameworks, could reward universities that institutionalise co-op programmes where students alternate between academic study and industry engagement. This model, long practised in Canada and Germany, allows students to gain hands-on experience while earning credits.

India’s rise as a global knowledge power will depend not merely on the number of universities it has, but on how effectively they nurture innovation, employability, and inclusion.  The vision ahead is clear: an education system that is self-sufficient but globally connected, digitally empowered yet deeply human, and research-driven yet socially rooted.

(The writer is Pro-Chancellor, Alliance University)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.