1. Education - Employment Mismatch: India's Growing Crisis

14.05.2025

1. Education - Employment Mismatch: India's Growing Crisis

Context :
India is grappling with a dangerous disconnect. Millions of graduates remain unemployed or underemployed, despite formal education. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was expected to transform the system, but rising concerns suggest a widening gap between degrees and job readiness.

About NEP 2020 :

• The new National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, formed under the guidance of the Dr. K. Kasturirangan Committee and the Ministry of Education, is India’s first education policy of the 21st century, replacing the earlier National Policy on Education (NPE) of 1986.

Reforms under NEP 2020

• It consists of  5+3+3+4 academic model.
• Vocational integration from school level.
• Focus on critical thinking, coding, and multilingualism.
• Flexible higher education pathways through the Academic Bank of Credits.
• Aiming to attain foundational literacy and numeracy via a National Mission.
• Eliminating rigid separations between academic, extracurricular, and vocational streams..
• Promoting teaching in the mother tongue/regional language until Grade 5, preferably 8.
• Reforming assessment to be competency-based; setting up the PARAKH Centre.

Policy Design Flaws and Institutional Barriers

• Critics argue NEP is overly idealistic without operational clarity — often described as a "dead fish in the water."
• Rapidly evolving sectors like Artificial Intelligence and robotics are sidelined in favor of traditional subjects.
• Delays in education completion due to flexible course structures raise fears of students being pushed into low-quality employment.
• The UGC’s centralized control restricts institutional autonomy, curbing innovation and curriculum modernization.
• Industry voices were largely absent during the NEP drafting, weakening its relevance to real-world job markets.
   

Where India Stands Globally

• India's rankings in global indices like the QS World University Rankings have improved marginally.
• Despite being among the top G20 nations in terms of student volume, India ranks low in research impact and international publications.
• The Indian startup ecosystem remains heavily reliant on service models (e.g., delivery, e-commerce), lacking breakthroughs in high-tech domains like semiconductors or green technology.
   
• Brain drain continues as domestic research careers remain unattractive due to low funding, poor infrastructure, and limited academic incentives.
   

Rebuilding the Foundation: Roadmap for Reform

• Reform the UGC with a decentralized, innovation-friendly body that encourages institutional freedom.
• Establish formal industry-academia collaboration platforms to co-create job-relevant curricula.
• Mandate digital and emerging tech literacy in school and college programs, including AI, blockchain, and sustainability.
• Offer government-backed research grants and entrepreneurship fellowships to retain top talent.
• Benchmark NEP implementation through outcome-based audits and state-level scorecards.
• Promote regional education-tech hubs to link innovation with employability and local development.
   

Conclusion:
 India’s youth are its greatest strength—but only if they are equipped with the right skills and opportunities. The NEP presents a vision, but without bold structural reforms and real execution, the dream of transforming India into a global knowledge powerhouse may remain unfulfilled. Education must be reimagined not as a degree factory, but as the engine of innovation, employment, and national development.