𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐆𝐚𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐆𝐚𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

I recently met a group of B.A, B. Com, and B. Sc students in a Tier-3 college with 2,200+ students.

Just months before graduation, they were still 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 about their next steps for future —

yet hopeful that their degree would open some magical doors.

Across India, millions pursuing General Degrees (Arts, Science, Commerce) still believe a “𝐃𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐄𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡.”

But without skills, guidance, and clarity, many remain directionless.

𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯?

Because the context of Skill, & Employability rarely finds thinking space in a general degree framework - 

despite 65% 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 enrolment (≈2.5 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐞) annually I.e.

(35% 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐬, 15% 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 13% 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞 — AISHE 2021–22).

In contrast to

• 15–17% join Professional Programmes (Engineering, Medical, Management, etc.)

• 1% or less reach the elite institutions (IITs, NITs, IIMs)

𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 65% 𝘮𝘢𝘫𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 — 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘪𝘦𝘳-2, 𝘛𝘪𝘦𝘳-3, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘴 — 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢’𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦?

Their Energy, aspirations, can be harnessed to drive socio-economic growth.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝. 

𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠:

29 Yrs (2025) → 35 Yrs (2040) → 38–39 Yrs (2047)

15–20 years to focus on, before aging pressures reshape our society.

𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞. 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲. 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫. 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞.

That’s how we can harness our youth before the demographic window narrows.

With GER@~30% (aiming for 50% by 2035 as per NEP 2020),

𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠.

We cannot leave this majority of youth in 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐭:

• 3/4 long years focused only on earning a degree

• no skills or competencies

• no roadmap for future

Affiliating Universities, and Colleges, must rethink on the structure, & outcomes aligned to vision of NEP2020.

Else, 𝐕𝐢𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭@2047will remain disconnected from the grassroots

— risking another social crisis.

Change doesn’t always need to be top-driven.

𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭’𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.

It can begin with 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫s to guide students,

for them to stay curious and explore opportunities.

Let’s not reduce Higher Education to a 𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.

Let’s make it a 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞-𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 for our youth in small towns and villages.