Bullish on India | What higher education & employability will look like in India by 2047?

The future of Indian higher education in 2047 must be equitable, inclusive and accessible with world-class standards.

The future of Indian higher education in 2047 must be equitable, inclusive and accessible with world-class standards. The ecosystem should follow a student-centric approach that encourages lifelong learning and harness the vast human resource potential of India and the world, says Avantika Tomar, who, as a Partner at EY-Parthenon, manages the growth agenda for the education practice, delivering client engagements in India and the Middle East, focusing on K-12, higher education, EdTech, and public policy.

Tomar, who has over 10 years of experience in education strategy and operations for global school chains, universities, public sector entities, and corporate and private equity firms investing in the education/EdTech sectors, lays out five-year plans of Vision 2047 to achieve the goals. Strategic reforms and infrastructural development, according to her, are necessary across five key areas of the Indian higher education landscape, namely:

1.     student centricity,

2.    research and innovation,

3.    faculty,

4.    international mobility, and

5.    digital learning.

Currently, the Indian higher education system consists of 1,000+ universities, 42,000+ colleges and 11,500+ stand-alone institutes, with a majority of them owned by private players. By 2047, the Indian system of education should witness an increase in gross enrolment ratio (GER) to 60%, aim for 10 student cities, 500-700K+ international students pursuing higher education in India  and 30-40 top 200 Higher education Institutes (HEIs) in international rankings, as stated in the FICCI-EYP knowledge report ‘Higher Education in India: Vision 2047’.

The FICCI-EYP report has laid down detailed steps necessary for Vision 2047 regarding higher education in India.

Modernise education: Set up high end in-campus tech-based facilities such as AR/VR labs, 3D printing labs, research facilities with high-end computing facilities etc. Development of AI/ML-powered chatbots that act as a student’s go-to guide for learning will help resolve their doubts and clarify their concepts. Inculcate basic modules on coding, AI/ML, design thinking etc. within curricula across all disciplines.

Adapting to Metaverse (which will allow users to interact virtually in a computer-generated environment) in the delivery of curriculum to improve learning experience.

Better student-teacher ratio: Policy makers need to improve the overall student teacher ratio of Indian higher education system by hiring faculties for positions that are currently lying vacant.

Digital Universities: Develop a fully digital university with high-quality faculty. The university will provide both academic, as well as vocational education degrees. It will focus on providing low-cost degrees across almost all discipline, with an aim of enrolling students from every corner of the country, and improving overall GER of Indian higher education.

Using innovative digital platforms introduce gamification within curriculum. Adopt digital assessments using AI-based test evaluation methods. In order to improve institute wide efficiency, deploy digital solutions within institute’s academic and non-academic operations such as admissions management, calendar planning, credit transfer portals, accommodation management etc.

Collaborate with technology companies for developing cutting-edge and easy-to-access digital infrastructure and platforms for higher education institutes.

Democratise quality private higher education: Develop an ecosystem that hosts courses from multiple leading universities and provides students with an option to pick and choose from the plethora of options to create their own domain of expertise.

One-stop-shop for student financing portal: Ed-tech players can aim to develop a ‘one-stop-shop’ student financing portal, where easy financing, need/ merit government and corporate based scholarships are readily available to students. In addition, students may also find extra value-add services such as university / course finder, student insurance, accommodation details etc. directly on the portal.

Investment: Government should allocate dedicated funds to digitize the Indian HEIs; policy makers should devise clear cut policies that promotes HEI ed-tech partnerships. As immediate steps, policy makers can focus on liberalising the higher education investment landscape to attract international investors and universities in India

Make Indians more employable: Currently, only 48 per cent of India’s total youth is employable, that is, 1 out of every 2 Indian youth does not possess skills necessary for employment. This unemployability stems from the traditional education system that is heavily biased in favour of knowledge. Knowledge does not necessarily make one employable. What we need is a healthy balance between knowledge and skills. For that, India will have to better the quality of education in unbranded institutions, set up skills university, encourage entrepreneurship and make liberal arts more mainstream. For example, not only do we need to replicate the module of universities like Ashoka, OP Jindal, Shiv Nadar but we need to make them more affordable and accessible. This can only be achieved with government-private partnership and the Ed-Tech players. By 2047, India can become the world’s largest exporter of talents and skills.