This progress is evidenced by India’s status as one of the largest producers of fruits, vegetables, and dairy, aided by the veterinary sciences and animal husbandry. In 1974, India conducted its first nuclear test (Operation Smiling Buddha) in Pokhran, moved towards enhancing its energy production, and by 1975, it had developed its own satellite, Aryabhata. Initially dependent on imports such as US wheat and tinned milk from the Netherlands, India quickly achieved food self-sufficiency by invoking “Green Revolution” which was followed by “White Revolution” through Amul Cooperative Society, and “Poultry Revolution”. From the 1980s, various Technology Missions helped achieve such goals. The flagship programmes of the Indian government to improve the nutritional status of children and reduce incidence of malnutrition through the Integrated Child Development Scheme and Mid-Day Meal Scheme are exemplary, not to say of other pro-poor welfare schemes and rural development. Even, the first wave of Indian professionals to work abroad included graduates from the world-class technical institutions established in the post-independence era.

However, despite these noteworthy foundational accomplishments, the quality of research and innovation in India has stagnated over the past two to three decades. This is alarming, particularly because other nations—including the countries that lagged far behind India just 40–50 years ago—have rapidly advanced. With a population of 1.4 billion, a growing focus on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, and a shortage of job opportunities, India is today at a crucial juncture. Addressing these challenges requires a unified effort from the government, the academia-intelligentsia, and industry. Through appropriate policies, resources, and a shift in research culture, India will acquire the potential to regain its place as a global leader in research and innovation.

Nonetheless, for action after introspection, the relevant data pertaining to our research performance are quite troubling. Some of these may be elaborated below: 

1. Citation Impact: According to the “Scimago Journal & Country Rank” (SJR), which assesses academic impact globally, India ranks outside the top 100 countries for citations per document across all subject areas (https://www.scimagojr.com/countryrank.php), including Sciences, Life Sciences, Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences. Indian research averages only 12.7 citations per document, significantly trailing countries like the United States, Canada, and scores of countries in Europe, which exceed 25-30 citations per paper. Researchers from several Asian countries, including Saudi Arabia (17.6), Nepal (15.2), Oman (15.1), and Bangladesh (14.5), also surpass India in citation impact. While India performs slightly better in Engineering and Sciences, its ranking is notably lower in Arts and Humanities.

2. H-Index Ranking: India is not among the top 20 nations in terms of the h-index across all subject areas, which measures scientific productivity and citation impact. Although India has largest population, the number of citable documents produced (2.7 million) is significantly lower than that of countries like the USA (14 million) and China (10 million). Particularly the emphasis is quite less in publishing in high ranked journals in the fields of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities.

3. Top-tier [Q1] Journal Publications: High-ranking institutions are often evaluated by their contributions to Q1 (top quartile) journals, representing the top 25% in each field. India’s highest-ranking institutions—the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS, New Delhi)—are positioned only at 1346 and 1360 globally.

(https://www.scimagoir.com/rankings.php?sector=Higher+educ.&country=IND).

For example, if one looks(Fig.1) at the declining publications in the journals of repute by the researchers at a highest funded, historic and a largest residential public university, the Aligarh Muslim University(AMU), then the scenario gets quite depressing, hence, a matter of great concern.

Fig.1: The research ranking of the Aligarh Muslim University refers to the volume, impact and quality of the institution’s research output. On the X-axis is year and Y-axis is global ranking.
Source: https://www.scimagoir.com/institution.php?idp=3231#google_vignette

4. Global Innovation Index (GII): In the 2024 Global Innovation Index, India ranked 39th out of 160 economies (https://www.wipo.int/gii-ranking/en/india), indicating room for improvement in innovation capacity.

5. Patent Generation: India granted only 0.03 million patents compared to 0.8 million in China and 0.3 million in the United States, illustrating a significant lag in protecting and commercializing intellectual property.

For instance, if one looks (Fig.2) at the declining number of innovation ranking of AMU, the issue is again quite alarming.

Fig.2: The innovation ranking of the Aligarh Muslim University, which is calculated on the number of patent applications of the institution and the citations that its research output receives from patents. On the X-axis is year and on Y-axis is innovation ranking.
Source: https://www.scimagoir.com/institution.php?idp=3231#google_vignette

Root causes of this decline in our academia:

In our estimation, several factors contribute to India’s declining research quality and innovation output, such as:

1. Evaluation standards focused on quantity: Academic institutions often emphasise the quantity of publications rather than quality. Shifting focus to high-impact research would reward rigorous, ethical research practices and enhance India’s international credibility. Prioritising quality over quantity attracts international collaborations and investment, creating an environment that promotes scientific integrity. Strict standards for recruitment, based purely on merit and publication in reputable journals and books, are sometimes compromised. Promotions to higher-level positions are not stringently monitored by institutions. People who publish in journals or magazines that are not even indexed by the h-index are often promoted readily. Publications with publishers that lack rigorous standards and anonymous peer review are accepted without scrutiny. Furthermore, student feedback in both letter and spirit is frequently ignored in universities and colleges.

The primary focus of faculty members in academic institutions therefore should remain on their core responsibilities of research and teaching. These activities not only contribute to personal academic growth but also significantly enhance the institution’s reputation and academic excellence. Engaging in meaningful research furthers the frontiers of knowledge, while effective teaching shapes the next generation of scholars and professionals.

2. Insufficient R&D investment: India’s research and development expenditure is less than 0.7% of GDP, placing it outside the top 150 countries for R&D investment.

In contrast, the developed nations such as the USA (3.5%), Germany (3.1%), and Israel (5.5%) allocate much more for R&D. Even some developing countries, such as Cuba (11.5%) and Oman (6.8%), outspend India in this area. Thus, adequate funding is essential for basic research, which forms the foundation for applied sciences and technology development. This is why it is paramount to strengthen basic research laboratories. 

3. Inadequate focus on basic sciences: Without robust fundamental research in the basic sciences, the applied researches cannot progress. Industries often hesitate to fund basic research due to its indirect, long-term returns. However, government’s substantial financial support is essential here. Breakthroughs in medical technologies, like X-rays, MRI, PET scans, and radiotherapy were made possible by early investments in basic sciences. To foster innovation, India must prioritize basic research alongside applied sciences.

4. Urgent need for financial support in colleges and public universities: To ensure the quality of education in colleges and public universities, it is imperative to prioritise financial support for critical infrastructure. Laboratory courses, which are central to hands-on learning, have been significantly affected by the lack of equipment. Decades ago, these institutions boasted better-equipped laboratories, allowing students to explore and innovate. However, over the past four to five decades, there has been a marked deterioration in these facilities, leaving many students unable to gain practical skills in key areas. Equally concerning is the condition of libraries, which are fundamental to fostering independent learning and research. Many institutions struggle to maintain updated collections of books, journals, and other resources due to insufficient funding. Addressing this issue is vital to bridging the gap between students’ learning potential and the resources available to them.  Moreover, the shortage of faculty members poses a significant challenge. In many colleges, the faculty strength is considerably below the required levels, compromising the quality of instruction and mentorship.  This situation directly impacts the ability of institutions to maintain academic rigor and to support students effectively.  

5. Limited Institutional Autonomy: Granting universities and research institutions more academic and administrative autonomy would enable them to respond quickly to emerging research needs. Accountability frameworks should be in place to uphold ethical standards, ensuring that institutions remain credible and internationally competitive.

A Curious Case of the AMU: Nepotism and Inbreeding Corroding Meritocracy

Let the foregoing discussion be illustrated with the instance of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), a significantly funded, large residential university. There appears to be an increasing trend where around 20% to 25% of the AMU teachers perennially prioritise grabbing administrative positions including those positions traditionally designated only for the non-teaching staff. Extracting this undue benefit has gone up to the extent that even the positions of the statutory officers are filled in on ad hoc basis, in flagrant violation of the UGC rules, and even on illegal basis, as revealed in a recent information obtained through the RTI Act 2005. Some of these “Non-Teaching Professors” have delayed obtaining their PhD degree and have been happily continuing in the administrative positions.

This sorry state of affairs is owing to the fact that, this is often to gain associated “material” benefits over and above salary, including, institutional vehicles with drivers and security personnel serving as domestic servants of the teacher-officers, at the expense of the University exchequer. Many of these teachers have been holding such positions for an outrageously long time, for the last many years, uninterruptedly. Their poor CVs, with no significant/respectable research output, adversely affect the ranking of the University.

AMU, unlike all other central universities (CUs), has got an overwhelming hegemony of the internal teachers inside its Executive Council which also empanels its Vice Chancellors. In the last two empanelment (2017 and 2023), only internal teachers have succeeded in becoming AMU-VCs. This aggravates the practice of nepotism and inbreeding in recruitments and promotions, at the expense of meritocracy. This has had an additional corrosive effect on research output of AMU.

Having developed deeply entrenched, strong clout, they incapacitate successive VCs and create layers of red-tapism just in order to harass and humiliate academically accomplished teachers. The overall atmosphere and ecosystem of the University is made anti-academic. The academically productive ones are harassed by delaying/denying promotions to them, as the VCs are perennially under the pressure of this internal hegemony. Internal teachers becoming as VCs of AMU do not have the independence (or guts) to act against these interests with whom they have been living, working and will continue to live with them even after completing their tenures as VC!

Non-teaching positions are typically designed to support administrative and operational functions, ensuring the smooth running of the University, and are best suited for personnel with expertise in these areas. Unfortunately, these roles are increasingly being used for personal advantage, benefiting the teachers themselves, their family members, and their friends. At some places, the prolonged (rather than a brief tenure) occupation of such positions has led to the formation of regional and sub-regional layers of hegemony and therefore unbridled nepotism in enrolments, recruitments and promotions. These maladies are actively destroying the academic ethos of teaching and research.

Needless to say, this shift in focus dilutes the academic mission and also undermines the intended division of responsibilities within the universities.

By prioritising research and teaching over such non-academic roles, faculty members can better align with the university’s objectives of fostering an environment of intellectual rigour and student development. Clear policies and guidelines can further help delineate responsibilities, ensuring that non-teaching roles are fulfilled efficiently by the appropriate staff while enabling faculty members to concentrate on their academic and scholarly pursuits. This alignment benefits not only the institution but also the broader academic community.

Just as in AMU, other universities too must have got their own general as well as more specific problems. Insiders of those universities also need to expose their endemic problems on these counts.

By tackling the abovementioned critical challenges head-on, India can revitalise its research ecosystem and emerge as a dominant force in the global knowledge economy. Is the government really prepared to listen?

Achieving this vision calls for a concerted effort: substantial government funding, a robust fellowship system based purely on merit, and strong collaboration between academia and industry. With strategic investments, a transformative approach to academic assessment, and greater institutional autonomy, India is poised not only to advance ground-breaking research and innovation but also to become a global beacon of knowledge and progress.

Sajjad Athar is a Professor of Physics at AMU, Aligarh, a renowned name in nuclear physics, a co-author with the Nobel Laureate Prof. Takaki Kajita who tweets @Mohamma84063425;  Mohammad Sajjad is a Professor of History at AMU who tweets @sajjadhist.

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From the introduction of the National Education Policy 2020 to the revision of university curriculums, India’s academia is voicing great concern about manipulation of learning for political gains.

States like Gujarat have already introduced cow research institutes that talk about traditional uses of cow milk, urine and dung. Universities with strong student union bodies have also been at odds with their own students. Even more worrying is the sudden replacement of Dalit, Adivasi and women’s voices with a greater focus on ‘Hindu culture’ in social science courses.

Within the last three months, Indian syllabus across universities has gone through some controversial changes. Some of these changes are as follows:

Jai Prakash University removes namesake from political science syllabus

Irony abounds as Bihar’s Jai Prakash University (JPU) in Chapra decides to remove socialist leader and freedom fighter Jayaprakash Narayan from the political science syllabus. Chapra is also the native land of Narayan. Further, other leaders like Ram Manohar Lohia, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, M.N. Roy and others were also removed from the postgraduate course.

However, the exclusion of the “Hero of Quit India Movement” has angered many, not the least of which include Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav. According to The Telegraph, student organisations also protested in defiance of the move. The leaders have now been replaced by other freedom fighters like Deendayal Upadhyaya, Subhas Chandra Bose and Mahatma Jyotiba Phule.

Delhi University and exclusion of widely-acclaimed women writers

Teachers from the institution’s English literature department have had no qualms about expressing their ire on the sudden exclusion of writers, Bama, Sukirtharani and Mahasweta Devi. Experts condemned how the enforcement of the Oversight Committee’s recommendation bypassed and violated the democratic process of syllabus-making. Most recently, teachers circulated a statement decrying the exclusion of the texts. Bama and Sukirtharani provided voices of Dalit women from Tamil Nadu through their poems and stories. Meanwhile, Bengali activist Devi’s short story Draupadi talked about the woes of a tribal woman. Groups like the Dalit Intellectual Collective have demanded the reinstatement of the texts along with apologies to the three writers.

JNU introduces ‘jihadi terrorism’ course

Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) introduced a new course on terrorism that describes “jihadi terrorism” as the only “fundamentalist-religious inspired terrorism”. The news sparked criticism from many experts about the ‘communal’ tone to the course. However, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan complimented Vice Chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar for sanctioning the course.

Pradhan argued that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) offers a similar course on terrorism and that such courses should be encouraged in academia. However, like the DU incident, Kumar allegedly brought in this course without due consultation of JNU’s academic bodies.

Further, the aforementioned MIT courses take a general overview of recent political science literature to understand why non-state elements such as terrorists resort to violence. The JNU counterpart allegedly follows an Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideology.

Calcutta HC orders tells VBU students, no protest within 50 mts of campus

Visva Bharati University (VBU) students, demonstrating against the expulsion of three students, were told by the High Court on September 3 not to protest within 50 meters of campus grounds. The students were also told to end their agitation outside the residence of the Vice Chancellor. However, the student body said they will continue their protests elsewhere to support the three students who were punished for participating in a campus protest in January 2020.

According to Newsclick, the VBU administration has changed its attitude since the RSS took over and the “saffronisation” of the institution began.

Communalised approached of the UGC history syllabus

Historians from the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and the JNU alike criticised the University Grants Commission (UGC) in August for its new curriculum framework for undergraduate studies in history. Experts called the new syllabus that moved away from a “historian based approach.”

According to the Times of India, experts condemned the omissions of important historical periods and their replacement with mythology. Further, renowned scholars such Irfan Habib and RS Sharma have been dropped from the curriculum along with literature on Mughals, women and caste.

The first paper of the course, the ‘Idea of Bharat’ also hints at an excessive focus on Hindu culture by talking about Hindu civilisation in the ancient period and completely omitting the medieval period that includes the Mughal empire. Decrying this biased approach, historians have been demanding the total scrapping of the syllabus since its introduction in June.

BHU’s course on Hinduism

The Banaras Hindu University (BHU) will soon launch a Hinduism degree course wherein students will learn about ancient knowledge, tradition, art such as ancient trading activities, architecture, weapons, tools used by great Indian emperors.

The Sanskrit department will plan practical aspects of scriptures, Vedas and ancient inscriptions through mantras. However, the course will be conducted by the Philosophy department. Course-markers claimed that the goal is to attract foreign students interested in studying Hinduism.

However, the course does not extend to other forms of religion in a culturally diverse country like India. In fact, BHU states it will be the first degree course of Hinduism. Earlier, the Himachal University offered a diploma course for the same.

Related:

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India will remember Gail Omvedt forever
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NCPCR suggests extending RTE to all minority institutions

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It is unusual for a bright young scholar like Amrendra Narayan, with a Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics from Mississippi State University, preceded and followed by research stints at Indian Institutes of Technology at Kanpur and Mumbai, respectively, to go and work at a relatively little known Veer Kunwar Singh University in a small town Arrah of Bihar near his native place. His own family and friends would have probably dissuaded him from going to Arrah and for good reasons. After working there for three years he was physically assaulted on campus on 13 August, 2020, by one Vivek Kumar alias Jitendra Pandey, who hung around in the University without any formal affiliation there.             

It appears that a section of people with the University were not happy with the reforms that Amrendra was trying to bring about in the prevalent ‘academic’ culture there. Using his technological capabilities, the University created a Computer Centre facility for computerised result preparation saving crores of rupees and freeing it from the clutches of private agencies and from external and internal manipulation. His biggest attack was on plagiarism. He introduced software to detect plagiarism which made it difficult to obtain an easy Ph.D. from the University. In his attempt to rid the system of higher education of the malpractices and corruption by strictly implementing the University Grants Commission norms, he shook the entire set up.         

The Vice Chancellor was supportive of his efforts in the beginning because of which Amrendra was able to accomplish a number of things. But after the assault incident, the VC has decided to go mum. 

The scenario at University in Arrah is not an exception. To a lesser and greater extent all the malpractices here can be found in any academic institution in other places too. Using unfair means in examinations is very common and is a collaborative exercise in many places with students, parents, teachers, and management of school or college, education department officials, administrative officers and people’s representatives all colluding. It is an important factor responsible for the fall in quality of education activity at educational institutions. Students of renowned institutions like King George Medical University, Lucknow and IIT, Banaras Hindu University have been caught impersonating candidates in respective entrance examinations in exchange for money. Incidents of plagiarism have been reported at very reputed institutions too. 

Erudite economist Jean Dreze accused IIT Kanpur Associate Professor in Economics, Somesh Kumar Mathur, of having completely copied one of his articles published in Economic and Political Weekly when Mathur was a Ph.D. student at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Mathur just added a section to Dreze’s article and published it in another journal in his name. Inspite of charges of plagiarism in other works, Mathur continues to serve the IIT Kanpur.             

What is probably a rarity at IIT is a common practice at universities like the Veer Kunwar Singh. Dishonesty in research and teaching is allegedly rampant. The practice perpetuates from one generation to another. Any intervention to rectify the malfunctioning is likely to receive a violent pushback as experienced by Amrendra Narayan. Campus violence is also not uncommon. From carrying the feudal-casteist disputes from the rural hinterland to academic campuses, clashes between student groups more for asserting their dominance than for any ideological reasons, giving vent to their frustration against any attempt to discipline them by indulging in vandalism have been common incidences. Banaras Hindu University at Varanasi closing down sine die after campus violence was an expected annual event before the University decided to ban students union elections. 

This January we saw a masked gang going on rampage in JNU campus. A rowdy group forcibly entered the Gargi College in Delhi in February and molested girl students in a shameful act. Most of our institutions of higher learning have no pretensions of being the ideal centres of learning and scholarship. Inspite of high numbers involved in higher education India has a poor record in research. It is no surprise that no scholar working in an Indian institution has received a Nobel prize till date. 

The quality of research also reflects in the economy. The manufacturing in India is highly dependent on foreign designs and imported materials and products. China has infiltrated the Indian market to such an extent that in spite of our wish to boycott Chinese goods because of its infringement of Indian territory we’re unable to do so. The Prime Minister may dream of an Atmanirbhar Bharat, the fact is we cannot do without external help, whether of finance or technology. A recent trend is even governments hire foreign consultants to advise them on matters of domestic policy.             

It is quite clear that India has not taken its education seriously. Education is a ritual to be completed for upward social and economic mobility. The ultimate objective is to possess a degree irrespective of any capability acquired through the process of education. The more smart among the educated use their knowledge or skills to make money for themselves, legally or illegally. Corruption in India is a product of the educated. Education is disconnected from social reality and does not even attempt to solve the real problems of our country. Corruption, violence and mediocrity are endemic to Indian education system. The system is deeply entrenched intertwined with powerful vested interests.         

However, if the policy makers want an overhaul of the education system, as is desired in the recently released New Education Policy, the reality would have to be confronted. Some people will have to stem the rot. This will definitely involve risks as Amrendra’s example has shown. But the wider society and at least the intellectual academic community will have to support persons who attempt to reform the system and not abandon them.           

Note: Peehu Pardeshi is Assistant Professor at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai and Sandeep Pandey is Vice President, Socialist Party (India).

Related:

Education of over 70 percent of youth disrupted by Covid-19: ILO

21st century brand of India’s Language Policy – NEP 2020

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“My research career is prematurely murdered and I feel Numb. The IIST wanted to set an example for all students by terminating me on baseless grounds. The simplest way to slaughter all dissenting voices,” Hari Krishnan

Hari Krishnan is a student of PhD in Development Economics at the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST). As of today, his admission at IIST stands terminated owing to a termination letter sent to him on December 14, 2017.

Hari passed out from the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) in July 21, 2017. After this, he took admission in IIST on July 24, 2017. On December 8, 2017, Hari received a memorandum from IIST stating that he is enrolled in the list of two universities at the same time, which is fraudulent according to UGC rules.

In response to the memorandum, Hari requested the Controller of Examination, University of Hyderabad (UoH) to provide a course completion certificate for the M.Phil course that he pursued from there. The Controller of Examination issued his course completion certificate which specified that he completed his M.phil course and had submitted his no dues certificate and was not in the rolls of University of Hyderabad since 21-07-2017 (see the document below).

Despite submitting the letter, on December 14, 2017 he was served a notice from IIST which stated that his  ‘admission for the PhD programme is terminated and that he should vacate the hostel and leave the campus immediately’.

From the document issued by the HCU it became clear that Hari was never on the rolls of both institutes simultaneously. Rather, had joined IIST only after the completion of his MPhil programme in Economics.
 
Why Is Hari Being Hounded?
It appears that Hari’s participation in two year long protests at UoH may have led to the sudden termination order. The result of this will be the invalidation of his Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and the stigma of indiscipline.
 
It is also worth noting here that while at UoH, Hari Krishnan was the Secretary of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) during the time the agitations for Rohith Vemula’s institutional murder were going on.
 
Background
In view of the termination, several other issues going on in the campus become important. In an order issued in January 2017, the institute notified the students that then onwards, they will start charging the students with Academic fees of about Rs. 12,000 per semester. It is pertinent to mention here that many students were in the middle of their courses when this order was issued. These students joined the institute with the knowledge that their studies were funded entirely by the institute. However, this sudden declaration by the administration that even the current students already studying in the institute have to pay fees, made the future of hundreds of students studying in the institute uncertain. As per the UGC guidelines, the entire fees structure of any institute needs to be mentioned in the prospectus when the students join courses. Hence, by default the order could be considered invalid.
 
Several research scholars protested this move of the administration and in various letters to authorities contested the validity of such an order. This was going on since September, when the administration showed a firm resolve to increase the fees. Hari too, along with other students participated in the processes that students had initiated to call off this sudden imposition.
 
Could it be possible then, that a students’ agitations at IIST against imposition of fees mid-semester intimidated its administration so much that they have now resorted tosingle out students and witch-hunt them? This trend of finishing off dissent from its most radical source-the students and the youth is nothing but an Indian brand of crass McCarthyism.
 
However, Hari is not the one to give up. He says, “They want to create a situation in which there are no students who dare to question the administration in the future. The targeting is mainly aimed towards that. I am going to fight a legal battle against my termination”
 
Related Articles:
— An Year Of Continued Denial Of Justice For Rohith Vemula
— Suspensions are an answer to everything for UoH!
— UOH Suspends Ten Students, Modi Regime’s Assaults on Students Continues: Widespread Protests
 

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An Indian Express report today revealed a number of recommendations submitted by Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas – an RSS-affiliated organisation, to the ministry of human resource development, ahead of the formulation of the new education policy. Apart from the demand for prominence for mother-tongues and elimination of English as a medium of instruction, the Nyas (trust) has also demanded that foreign languages not be offered as an option to the Indian languages, all research work should only be pertaining to ‘national interest’, and all references that insult Indian culture, sects or thoughts and offer “wrong” explanations be removed.

Prakash Ambedkar, president, Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh told Sabrangindia, “It’s quite obvious that they’re trying to target Dalits here, but this move will also affect the poor adversely. It’s an attempt at reinstating the old systems. Where knowledge is expanding its scope and is being globalised in the current era, they’re asking for localisation of knowledge. It’s ridiculous.”

He advised that the RSS should implement the recommendations within its own institutions before advocating these measures. “Children of almost all of the upper-castes study in English medium schools. Are they willing to withdraw their children from these schools? They should implement this suggestion within the cadre, see the results and then talk of its nation-wide implementation,” he said.

Dismissing the chances of the implementation of these recommendations, he added, “People will not support these regressive ideas. They will speak up. Looks like they (right wing organisations) will end up losing power (if continue to function in this manner).”

Taking ta jibe at these recommendations, Dalit rights activist and eminent writer Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd told Sabrangindia, “They should ask for the closure of all (English medium) private schools and colleges, irrespective of their ownership. Why stop at that? They should also withdraw English as a subject from the Saraswati Mandirs – schools run by the RSS. They should also make sure that we do not export material to the English-speaking countries. And they should refrain from accepting even a penny form these English-speaking countries for educational purposes. Then, we can say, their purpose will be truly served!”

He further dubbed this moves as an attempt to marginalise students from backward castes studying in the English medium schools and progressive environments. “This will hamper the progress if Dalits,” he claimed.

Supporting the recommendations made by the Nyas partially, BJP Mumbai spokesperson Aarti Sathe told Sabrangindia, “I am not familiar with how exactly and on what levels do they plan to implement these measures, but, I feel that a child can understand the curriculum best if it’s in her or his own mother-tongue. Learning will become easier. Although, I am not against the English-medium education.”

According to the Indian Express report, the Nyas founder-secretary has claimed that the HRD minister Prakash Javdekar “appreciated many suggestions” and  said that they “will certainly consider” its suggestions.
 
Also read: Undoing India – The RSS Way
Also read: The Latest Victims of "Cultural Terrorism": A Dalit Poet and a Dalit Scholar

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India has 47 million youth of secondary and higher secondary school-going age out of school, according to a report by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics and Global Education Monitoring, a United Nations institute based in Montreal, Canada.
 
The 47 million young men and women dropped out of school by the 10th standard, according to the 2016 report.
 
The enrolment in class 10 is 77%, but enrolment in class 11 is only 52%, according to a reportfrom the New Delhi-based Institute for Policy Research Studies (PRS).

 

Source: Institute for Policy Research Studies, 2016
 
Enrolment declined by about half between class 11 and 12 and college, said the report, although university enrolment increased, in general, since 2008-09.
 
The number of boys enrolled in higher education has increased 13% and girls 21% since 2012-13, IndiaSpend reported in July 2016.
 
An overall increase in gross enrolment ratio (GER is student enrolment as a proportion of the corresponding eligible age group in a given year) at almost every level of education in India confirms that the educational system has become more accessible. Upper primary and secondary schools’ GERs saw a rise of 13% and 17%, respectively, in 2013-14 compared to 2007-08.
 
Despite this increase, six million children aged 6-13 are estimated to be still out of the school system, according to this 2014 survey by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
 
Most children out of school in Uttar Pradesh; Bihar, Rajasthan next
 
Uttar Pradesh leads the ranking with 1.6 million out-of-school children, followed by Bihar and Rajasthan.
 
An 18% increase in the population of young people aged 15-24 between 2001 and 2011 has resulted in a comparable increase in the country’s workforce, IndiaSpend reported in June 2014.
 
As many as 18% of 15- to 24-year-olds in India are unemployed, 5% more than the international average, estimated by the global youth unemployment rate of 2013.
 
“The newly-launched skill development programme courses require some minimum eligibility to enrol for training. Out of 29 programmes that are part of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (Prime Minister’s Skill Development Scheme), five require individuals who have passed Grade 12 and four require educational levels higher than Grade 12,” IndiaSpendreported in November 2015.
 
(Grocchetti and Moloney are interns with IndiaSpend.)

Courtesy: IndiaSpend.com
 

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