Deepak Nayyar, Emeritus Professor of Economics at Jawaharlal Nehru College, stated on Wednesday that India’s greater training system is in disaster due to political interference, underfunding and lack of autonomy.
Talking on the BG Deshmukh Memorial Lecture 2025 in New Delhi, Nayyar additionally criticised the College Grants Fee (UGC), saying it has stripped establishments of independence and imposed “one-size-fits-all” rules that stifle excellence and variety.
“The lucky few who do properly within the Class 12 examinations take up restricted seats in public universities. Most others make do with costly, low-quality non-public establishments. And a rising quantity now merely go overseas,” he stated, noting that just about $27 billion was spent by Indian college students abroad in 2023 alone, roughly equal to India’s international change earnings from tourism.
“It’s no accident our universities haven’t produced any Nobel laureates. And I feel they by no means will within the subsequent 25 years, the best way we’re going,” he stated.
Nayyar argued that with out high-quality training and analysis, India dangers falling into the “middle-income entice” that has bothered many Latin American and Asian economies. “India has the potential to achieve upper-middle-income standing by 2035, however reaching high-income standing by 2047 is near negligible until greater training is remodeled,” he stated.
Nayyar emphasised an pressing want to revive autonomy, encourage tutorial freedom, and overhaul governance buildings if universities are to reclaim their function in nation-building.