The Fall of Indian Education: A Decade of Decline

Despite the government’s claims of having taken action, these fake universities continue to operate and deceive unsuspecting students

Prof. Gobinda Singh Rajwar

In recent times, India’s education system has been at the forefront of national debates. The issues raised during Parliament sessions have thrown a stark light on the crumbling state of education, especially in higher education. A key moment occurred when Deputy Minister Sukanta Mazumdar addressed the serious issue of teacher vacancies, revealing disconcerting data. As of the latest government report, approximately 35.3% of teaching positions in central institutions, including universities like the IITs and IIMs, remain unfilled. This equates to more than 11,000 faculty positions across these institutions. To make matters worse, many of these vacancies are in critical reserved category positions, with over 50% of senior faculty roles in these categories still vacant.

The statistics underscore a deep structural flaw in the country’s higher education system. Central universities report a vacancy rate of 32.6%, while IITs and IIMs are at 40.3% and 31.5%, respectively. The question that arises is why these positions remain unfilled despite the constant rise in demand for higher education and research in India. Is this merely an oversight, or does it reflect a broader lack of commitment to quality education?

In recent decades, India has seen its higher education system expand rapidly. However, this growth has often outpaced the infrastructure and human resources necessary to support it. As institutions like the IITs and IIMs continue to grow in prestige, their capacity to offer quality education is compromised due to a lack of qualified faculty. The government has now mandated that these vacancies be filled on a mission-mode basis, with monthly monitoring mechanisms in place. But such measures often fail to address the root causes of the issue—poor governance, underinvestment, and a systemic lack of attention to faculty development.

Aurobindo Ghosh once famously said, “Education is the foundation of all human progress and must be given utmost attention by any nation.” However, India’s neglect of its education system over the last decade stands in stark contrast to this ideal. The current administration, despite its aggressive push for nationalistic reforms, seems to have sidelined education in favor of religious and political issues. As a result, the nation risks losing its competitive edge on the global stage in critical sectors such as technology, management, and scientific research.

The Rising Tide of Fake Universities

While the vacancies in Indian universities raise concerns about the quality of education, a far more dangerous issue has been the rise of fake universities operating across the country. As noted by Sukanta Mazumdar, 21 such universities were flagged by the government. Out of these, 12 have already been shut down, but the remaining institutions continue to operate, often under the radar. Shockingly, many of these fake universities are located in the national capital, Delhi, a city that should ideally set an example of educational excellence.

Despite the government’s claims of having taken action, these fake universities continue to operate and deceive unsuspecting students. The UGC (University Grants Commission) website, which should be a critical tool in the regulation of higher education, lists these institutions as legitimate. This is both a failure of governance and an indictment of the current education regulatory framework. In a country where education is increasingly becoming a critical pathway to personal and professional growth, such systemic lapses are deeply concerning.

This rise in fake universities highlights a disturbing trend—India’s education system is being commodified, and many unscrupulous actors are capitalizing on the ignorance and desperation of students and their families. These institutions prey on the lack of awareness among students, offering degrees and courses that have no academic value. This not only jeopardizes the future of countless students but also tarnishes the reputation of India’s entire higher education system.

As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The true function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” It is apparent that this ideal is far from being realized in the current education system, where fake degrees often supersede genuine learning, and the focus is on numbers rather than quality. The unregulated proliferation of such institutions undermines the integrity of the system, leaving students disillusioned and misled.

The question remains: how long will the government continue to ignore this crisis? The education system is the foundation of any nation’s growth and stability, yet we are failing to build that foundation solidly. If the trend of fake institutions continues unchecked, the future of India’s youth and its global standing in education will remain at risk.

 Focus on Religious Nationalism and Its Impact on Education

As the vacancies in educational institutions and the rise of fake universities point to a deeper crisis, one cannot help but ask: where has the government’s focus been over the last decade? Under the current regime, the country’s priorities have shifted dramatically. While there has been a surge in focus on issues like religious nationalism, the education system has been largely sidelined. The BJP government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has pushed a narrative centered around “mandir” (temples) and “masjid” (mosques) rather than focusing on empowering institutions of learning.

The government’s agenda has been dominated by issues related to religious identity and nationalistic symbolism. From the Ram Mandir movement to the contentious debates over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), the administration has largely ignored the pressing needs of the education sector. Education, once the bedrock of nation-building, is now relegated to the backseat.

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a visionary in Indian education, once argued that “Educate, Agitate, Organize”—a powerful slogan that emphasized the transformative power of education. Yet, the current policy environment seems to have strayed far from this ideal. In a nation as diverse as India, where the aspirations of millions rest on education, the neglect of this vital sector is unforgivable. The lack of a clear, sustained focus on education—combined with the government’s focus on religious identity—has stunted the growth of India’s intellectual capital.

Moreover, the government’s attempts to centralize control over education through measures like the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 are indicative of an inclination to dictate the ideological direction of education, rather than fostering critical thinking. This has been seen as a tool for reinforcing the dominance of certain ideological groups, rather than ensuring a diverse, inclusive educational environment. By sidelining important academic debates in favor of religious agendas, the government risks the future of India’s youth.

This shift in priorities is evident when we compare the education policies of past leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Madan Mohan Malaviya, who understood the power of education in shaping a free and democratic society. Nehru’s emphasis on building institutions like IITs and IIMs was based on a belief that education should be used to empower the nation, not merely to fuel religious agendas. Malaviya, who envisioned Banaras Hindu University (BHU) as a space of academic excellence and intellectual freedom, championed education as the key to social transformation.

In contrast, today’s government seems to have strayed from these ideals. The result is a generation of students who are more attuned to political slogans than to intellectual engagement. This shift has further eroded the quality of education, as students are encouraged to engage in ideological battles rather than focusing on academic excellence.

The promotion of private universities in India over the past few decades raises important questions about the state’s role in providing quality education and maintaining a robust public education system. While government institutions have traditionally been the backbone of higher education in India, the increasing shift towards private universities reflects a deep structural failure within the public sector. The reality is that many private universities, despite their lofty promises, often fall short in terms of providing high-quality education, yet they charge exorbitant fees. The cost of attending these institutions is comparable to or even exceeds that of foreign universities, with little assurance of job placements or employability. In the current climate, education in India has essentially become a lucrative market—a business rather than a service to the nation’s youth.

One of the primary reasons for this growing reliance on private universities is the government’s inability to fill vacancies in public institutions. With more than 35% of faculty positions unfilled in central universities, IITs, and IIMs, the public sector is increasingly unable to offer students the educational experience they deserve. Instead, students, particularly those from middle and lower-income backgrounds, are forced to turn to private institutions that promise access to world-class infrastructure and teaching—at a cost that often leaves them financially burdened. Ironically, these private universities, despite charging exorbitant fees, fail to provide their students with the real benefits of higher education, such as a guaranteed job or a pathway to growth in the professional world.

The fact that private institutions have become an education market is a reflection of the government’s failure to maintain a system that serves the public good. India’s education system, once grounded in values of knowledge, inquiry, and holistic development, has slowly transformed into a corporate sector where profits often outweigh the quality of education provided. This commercialization of education is alarming, as it undermines the very essence of learning, which has historically been a tool for individual growth and societal betterment. In ancient India, education was deeply intertwined with values, spirituality, and the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, not for financial gain.

The Vedas, one of the oldest and most revered scriptures in Indian history, place immense emphasis on knowledge and education as means of attaining wisdom and spiritual enlightenment. The Rigveda states, “Tamaso ma jyotirgamaya”, meaning “Lead me from darkness to light,” underscoring the transformative power of knowledge. The Upanishads also stress the importance of education in the search for truth and the nature of existence. In the Chandogya Upanishad, the teacher Uddalaka instructs his son, “Tat tvam asi,” meaning “Thou art that,” indicating the integral connection between the individual and the ultimate knowledge. In this ancient framework, education was not merely about acquiring degrees or certifications but about cultivating wisdom that could lead to a higher understanding of life and the universe.

In contrast, the modern-day educational market in India has moved far away from these philosophical principles. The state’s failure to support public education has created an environment where private universities can thrive unchecked, often operating with little regard for quality. As the government continues to neglect the public sector, students are left with no choice but to pay hefty fees for a questionable return on investment. This reflects not just a failure in policy but also a deep disconnection from the core values of education that were once so central to Indian civilization.

The situation is symptomatic of a larger trend where education, instead of being viewed as a public service, has become commodified. This raises fundamental questions about the role of the government in ensuring equal access to quality education for all its citizens, irrespective of their financial background. The state’s inability to prioritize and invest in public institutions has led to a situation where private universities are now seen as the only alternative. This is a dangerous trend, one that undermines the very idea of education as a tool for empowerment, and it is a legacy that must be addressed before it becomes too ingrained in India’s educational framework.

In conclusion, the state of education in India over the last decade reflects a systemic decline exacerbated by political priorities that place more emphasis on religious and nationalistic concerns than on academic and intellectual growth. The figures—whether it’s the alarming vacancy rates in higher education institutions or the proliferation of fake universities—tell a stark story of negligence. The failure to address these issues has long-term consequences not just for India’s education system, but for its future as a knowledge-driven economy.

As India stands at the crossroads of economic transformation, education remains the key to unlocking the potential of its vast human resources. The question remains: will the government refocus on building a strong, equitable, and quality education system, or will the country’s youth continue to be left behind as political and religious agendas dominate the discourse? Until such questions are answered, India’s educational future will remain uncertain.

(The author is a distinguished biodiversity researcher, a Linnean Society fellow, a global advocate for the Himalayas, and a visiting professor at several prestigious universities both in India and abroad.)