Empowering India’s Youth for a Viksit Bharat

Nearly two centuries ago, British administrator Thomas Babington Macaulay laid the foundations of an education system designed to serve the needs of a colonial empire. The objective was straightforward: create a class of English-educated Indians who could assist in administering British rule. The system emphasised standardisation, examinations and rote learning, producing generations of clerks and bureaucrats who kept the colonial machinery running. In 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, seeking to fundamentally transform that legacy and prepare India for the demands of the 21st century. If Macaulay’s education model was intended to serve an empire, the NEP seeks to equip India’s youth to lead a nation aspiring to become a developed country by 2047. The contrast is striking. While the colonial-era framework focused on uniformity and memorisation, the NEP emphasises critical thinking, creativity, innovation, flexibility and multidisciplinary learning. It is the first major overhaul of India’s education system in 34 years and is widely regarded as one of the most ambitious reforms undertaken in independent India.

The impact of this transformation is increasingly visible across India’s higher education landscape. A decade ago, access to quality higher education remained a challenge for millions of students, particularly those from smaller towns and rural regions. Limited institutions, inadequate seats and geographical disparities often restricted opportunities and aspirations. Today, the scale of expansion is difficult to ignore.

The number of universities in India has risen from 723 in 2014 to 1,213 in 2024, while Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have expanded from about 51,500 to nearly 59,000. This growth has been driven by the implementation of NEP 2020, the establishment of new Central Universities and Institutions of National Importance, and flagship programmes such as PM-USHA and the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA). The growth is not merely numerical. India today has 23 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), 22 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and 20 All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The opening of IIT campuses in Abu Dhabi and Zanzibar signals India’s growing academic footprint beyond its borders and its emergence as a global knowledge partner.

At the heart of the NEP is a move away from rigid academic structures. Students are no longer expected to remain confined within fixed streams of science, commerce or humanities. Multiple entry and exit options, multidisciplinary curricula and credit transfers through the Academic Bank of Credits are designed to allow learners to tailor educational pathways according to their interests and career aspirations. The Academic Bank of Credits has emerged as one of the most significant reforms under the policy. Covering more than 2,600 institutions and issuing over 4.6 crore student IDs, it allows learners to accumulate, store and transfer academic credits across institutions. More than 150 universities have already adopted flexible admission and exit mechanisms aligned with the NEP framework. Another major objective of the policy is to improve participation in higher education.

The NEP has set a target of achieving a Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of 50 per cent in higher education by 2035. To achieve this, it envisages adding 3.5 crore new seats across universities and colleges. Recent figures indicate that progress is already underway. Student enrolment in higher education increased from 4.33 crore in 2021-22 to 4.46 crore in 2022-23, reflecting expanding access across regions, communities and socio-economic groups. Research and innovation form another cornerstone of the reforms. The establishment of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation seeks to strengthen India’s research ecosystem, encourage collaboration between academia and industry, and promote scientific inquiry across disciplines. Programmes such as MERITE are aimed at improving the quality and relevance of technical education while fostering innovation and entrepreneurship.

The policy also seeks to internationalise Indian higher education. New regulations permit twinning, joint and dual-degree programmes with foreign universities, while several international institutions are exploring opportunities to establish campuses in India. The larger objective is to position India as a global education destination and reduce the outflow of students seeking quality education abroad. Beyond universities and classrooms, the reforms are closely linked to India’s broader developmental ambitions. Education, skills, innovation and employability are increasingly viewed as the building blocks of economic growth and global competitiveness. Initiatives promoting vocational education, artificial intelligence, digital learning, startups and industry-academia collaboration reflect the changing nature of work in a technology-driven world. The significance of these reforms becomes even greater in the context of Viksit Bharat@2047, the national vision of transforming India into a developed nation by the centenary of Independence. Policymakers recognise that demographic advantage alone will not guarantee prosperity. India’s young population must be equipped with world-class skills, research capabilities and entrepreneurial abilities if the country is to emerge as a global leader in manufacturing, technology, healthcare, innovation and services.

The NEP is therefore more than an education reform; it is a nation-building project. By expanding access, encouraging multidisciplinary learning, strengthening research, promoting innovation and creating a culture of lifelong learning, it seeks to build the human capital that will drive India’s next phase of growth. Challenges undoubtedly remain. Ensuring uniform implementation across states, improving faculty quality, strengthening research funding and bridging regional disparities will require sustained effort and investment. Yet the direction of change is unmistakable. If Macaulay’s education system served the needs of a colonial administration, the National Education Policy seeks to create a generation capable of shaping India’s future.  The journey from producing clerks to nurturing creators, scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs may be long, but India appears firmly committed to that transformation. As the country moves towards its Viksit Bharat@2047 goals, the success of the NEP could well determine whether India merely participates in the global knowledge economy-or helps lead it.

The writer is Director, Indian Institute of Management Mumbai, and Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at IIT Kharagpur; Views presented are personal.