Indian Education

Education is a right, not privilege, Rahul Gandhi tells tribal students

Education is not a privilege, but the right of every student in India, and students from marginalised communities should not face neglect from the system, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has said. He met a delegation of tribal students, including those who were on a hunger strike to press for their demands, during his visit to Nashik in Maharashtra on Wednesday. The students were protesting over a range of issues, including the condition of ashram schools meant for tribals. Gandhi, in a post on X, later said, "Education is not a privilege -- it is the right of every student in India." The Congress leader said during his Nashik visit, he met with a delegation of tribal students and carefully listened to their problems and demands. Every student has the right to a respectful, safe, and conducive environment for their studies, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha asserted. "Students from marginalised communities should not face neglect from the system; they need its support and every poss

India's R&D inflection moment

India's R&D spending has hit a record 0.84% of GDP, but reaching the global technology frontier will require much higher private-sector investment and smarter public funding

India's school education needs reforms. 'Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya' shows why

The new series on Amazon Prime has a humorous take on the rather serious issue of India's school education, which demands reform

NITI Aayog proposes rethinking the school-degree-job pipeline: Here's how

India needs to move beyond simply expanding higher education and training more people and instead build a system that better connects education, skills and employment, NITI Aayog said in a report

India, Russia discuss strengthening higher education cooperation

India and Russia discussed potential areas of mutual interest in higher education and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in the sector, the Ministry of Education said on Friday. Deepti Gaur Mukherjee, Secretary in the Department of Higher Education, held an interaction with Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Mogilevsky Konstantin Ilyich, on Thursday, the ministry said in a post on X. "Both sides discussed potential areas of mutual interest and reaffirmed their intent to strengthen higher education cooperation between the two countries," it said. Mukerjee was appointed the higher education secretary as part of a top-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre on August 10. She succeeded Vineet Joshi, who was last month appointed secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

Best of BS Opinion: RBI rate hike only a matter of time as inflation looms

Today's opinion pieces examine the RBI's policy outlook, weaknesses in public examinations, state capacity, India's infrastructure financing gap and Omer Bartov's critique of Israel

UGC equity regulations 2026 under reconsideration: Centre tells SC

The Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court that the 2026 University Grants Commission equity regulations on preventing caste-based discrimination on campuses is under reconsideration. On January 29, the apex court had directed that the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, be kept in abeyance. The matter came up for hearing on Thursday before a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana. "This is the UGC regulation matter. It is under reconsideration," Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench. The bench asked the UGC to file a comprehensive counter affidavit within four weeks. It said petitioners may file rejoinder, if any, within two weeks thereafter. The apex court was hearing a batch of pleas challenging the validity of the 2026 regulations. On January 29, the top court had stayed the 2026 UGC equity regulations, saying the framework was "prima facie vague", can h

Beyond metros: Tier 2, 3 cities account for 86.5% of education loan demand

From UP to Bihar, smaller cities fuel India's education loan boom

NTA undertakes exam system overhaul, removes more than 50 staff members

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has removed more than 50 of its staff members and is onboarding professionals for key leadership positions as part of measures to reform the overall examination system, the education ministry said on Monday. The development came a day after the NTA ordered a re-test for three subjects of the UGC-NET exam for scholars due to several errors in those papers, and within months of the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 for medical admissions over allegations of paper leak. In a post on X, the ministry said Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi held a meeting with the secretary in the Department of Higher Education, the NTA director general and other senior officials, during which he was apprised of the steps taken by the agency in the wake of recent issues and reforming the overall exam system. "The minister was apprised about the steps taken by the NTA in the wake of recent issues, particularly with reference to reforming the overall system. He was ...

PhysicsWallah eyes PAT growth in Q3, says cofounder Prateek Maheshwari

Maheshwari also delved into the company's offline expansion, acquisitions and artificial intelligence (AI) strategy

Dipke to launch 'School Thik Karo' campaign, flags neglect of govt schools

CJP convenor Abhijeet Dipke on Saturday alleged that government-run schools in India remain neglected irrespective of parties in power as he prepared to launch 'School Thik Karo' campaign from Hingoli in Maharashtra, marking Independence Day. Before leaving for his native village of Santuk Pimpri in Hingoli district of Maharashtra, Dipke criticised political parties for not doing enough to improve the infrastructure and standard of government schools. "People have now understood that they should talk about education, which is the need of the hour. No matter which political party ruled, nobody worked for government schools in states. Now there is a need, and we can make them work by asking questions,'' he told reporters. He questioned the source of funding for huge banners that had cropped up in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city on Friday when a Tiranga rally was organised in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. ''It is good that a Tiranga rally was organised. However, th

From school access to student retention: India's education challenge at 80

India has expanded schools, enrolment and literacy since Independence. But dropout rates and weak learning outcomes show that keeping students in education remains the next big challenge

Nearly 73% students drop out before finishing higher secondary: Parl panel

A parliamentary panel has flagged a "drastic decline" in the number of schools and students as education level rises, noting that nearly 73 per cent students drop out before finishing higher secondary. The recommendation is part of the Tenth Report (Eighteenth Lok Sabha) of the Committee on Estimates (2026-27) on "Budget and Policy aspects for providing Affordable and Quality Education in the Country including Review of Central Board of Secondary Education", presented to Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The committee noted that the number of schools at Secondary and Higher Secondary levels are very less when compared with the number of schools at Primary and Upper Primary levels. It said as per the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) 2024-25, out of the total 10,92,671 schools, including all the government and government aided schools, there are 9,11,032 schools at primary level, 4,12,805 schools at upper primary level, 1,61,808 schools at secondary level, and only 90,8

Deepti Gaur Mukerjee named new Higher Education Secy after Neet row

Senior bureaucrat Deepti Gaur Mukerjee has been appointed as the new Higher Education Secretary, as part of a top-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre on Monday. She succeeds Vineet Joshi, who was appointed last month as the Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj. Incidentally, Naresh Pal Gangwar, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, was also named as the Higher Education Secretary, in place of Joshi. In a partial modification of its July 23 order, the Personnel Ministry announced late on Monday night that the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved Mukerjee's appointment as the new Higher Education Secretary. Her appointment comes in the wake of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) paper leak controversy. Mukerjee, a 1993 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, is currently serving as the Corporate Affairs Secretary. Youth Affairs Secretary Pallavi Jain Govil will now be the Corporate Aff

How China is redesigning higher education, and should India follow?

As AI reshapes job skills, China is redesigning higher education around technology and labour-market needs. Should India adopt parts of its approach without sacrificing academic autonomy?

'Those who learn, win': PM Modi tells IIT Delhi graduates to stay curious

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the world and technology are changing rapidly and whoever learns will win, as he asked students to keep their curiosity alive. Addressing the 57th convocation ceremony of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, the prime minister said challenges become chances for those with courage to find new solutions. "Today, the world is changing rapidly. Nobody can say what will happen 20-30 years from now. Keep your curiosity alive in life... Keep your learning instinct alive. Those who learn, win," he said. Modi said people who are open to new situations and challenges will turn challenges into chances and "this is what you have learned at IIT Delhi". Modi said India is now working towards becoming self-reliant in every sector. "Today, new sectors are emerging in the country for our youth," he said. The global power balance is changing every moment and the biggest force behind it is the speed of technology, the PM said. Modi said som

Around 158 CBI cases related to examination irregularities awaiting trial

Around 158 cases linked to alleged recruitment examination irregularities are awaiting the start of trial in various courts in the country despite the completion of CBI investigations, with some of them registered more than two decades ago, sources said. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has decided to approach all high courts to transfer these pending cases to the fast-track courts, which are being set up in various states to handle cases under the new anti-paper leak law, they said. Sources said the CBI has decided to convey to the high courts that it will provide dedicated special prosecutors to conduct these trials and make all possible resources available so that they are concluded at the earliest possible. In the national capital Delhi, there are around 25 cases since 2000 that are awaiting trial despite the completion of CBI investigation. These include the AIIMS PG recruitment examination of 2010-11, Delhi University Medical and Dental Entrance of 2011, CAT (common .

Student protests highlight India's soaring private coaching costs

Neet paper leak protests have highlighted the growing burden of private tuition as families spend a larger share of incomes on competitive exam preparation

Datanomics: Govt's bigger NEET challenge goes beyond paper leaks

Pralhad Joshi takes charge as education minister amid scrutiny over exam reforms, low public spending on education and persistent youth unemployment

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns amid nationwide protests

The minister's resignation comes weeks after protests over the leaking of the question paper for the highly-competitive National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Neet-UG) for admissions to medical colle