The Hindu Editorial Analysis- 14th May 2025 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

 In India, education without employment

Why in News?

 The educational system lacks a clear understanding of the employability of India's graduates in the workforce. 

Introduction

Supporters of the current government’s educational policies argue that education is now liberated from past constraints. They point to initiatives like Atal Tinkering Labs, coding in middle school, recruiting Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe teachers, and empowering Muslim girl students. The central claim is that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 “will lead to an educational renaissance.”

Key Issue: Educational System and Graduate Employability

The educational system is unaware of the employability prospects of graduates in the rapidly changing job market. Education serves multiple purposes: it enables, energizes, and elevates individuals. As Vivekananda emphasized, education empowers individuals to become self-reliant.

• After 75 years, India has compromised on both excellence and equity, resulting in graduates who struggle to find meaningful employment. Many degrees have lost their value and relevance.
• Whether these issues were created or overlooked by the Congress or the BJP is secondary. The current government must take responsibility and address the existing problems. The NEP 2000 represents the fourth attempt to reform education, following the Radhakrishnan Commission (1948), Kothari Commission (1966), and Officers’ Commission (1985).

What Constitutes a Good Education?

Depth: Offers technical skills essential for employability.

Breadth: Provides adaptability in an AI-driven environment, necessitating continuous re-skilling to remain relevant.

Lack of Progress in NEP Implementation

• Four Years On: There is minimal evidence of effective implementation of NEP recommendations.
• Graduate Employability: The overall graduate employability rate in India remains stagnant, showing little improvement from previous years.
• Knowledge-Intensive Employment:. small percentage of jobs are in knowledge-intensive sectors, indicating a lack of growth in this area.
• E-commerce Jobs: The NEP's focus on multiple entry and exit points has led to the emergence of low-quality and poorly compensated jobs in the e-commerce sector.

The High Rate of Educated Unemployment

• The current high rate of educated unemployment suggests that the education system in India is failing to empower students effectively.
• NEP's Approach: The NEP appears to revert to an outdated mid-20th century U.S. model of education, lacking the necessary financial backing for successful implementation.
• Outdated and Unviable: The NEP's concepts, such as Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), mother tongue learning, and flexible curricula, are superficial and financially unfeasible in the Indian context of 2025.
• Implementation Issues: The NEP relies solely on course choice to address imbalances, overlooking the potential unworkability of the course content itself.
• Lack of Industry Representation: The committee responsible for drafting the NEP did not include representatives from industry or business, leading to a disconnect between educational outcomes and industry needs.

University Rankings and Growth Claims

• QS World University Rankings (WUR): The claim that 11 Indian universities are ranked in the top 500 of the QS WUR is questioned.
• Growth in Rankings: The highlighted 318% growth in the performance of Indian universities overlooks the country’s low ranking and poor publication quality.
• Ranking Metric: India’s position in the Category Normalized Citation Impact (CNCI) is 16th among 19 G-20 countries, raising concerns about research quality.
• Indian Universities’ Growth: The 318% increase in performance of Indian universities is the highest growth in the G-20, but the government’s promotion of this metric is criticized.
• Press Releases: The Ministry’s promotion of improvements in Indian universities in press releases is seen as misleading.
• Government’s Misunderstanding: The government fails to grasp the commercial implications of agencies like QS and THE, leading to skewed analyses.

Unrealized Outcomes of Mega Research Projects

• Past Projects: Several mega research projects were initiated with significant public attention, including:
• New Millennium project (CSIR-NMITLI)
• $10 Akash tablet project
• IMPRINT (IMPacting Research INnovation and Technology)
• Public Awareness: Despite the substantial investment of taxpayer money, the outcomes of these projects remain unknown to the public.
• Value for Money: The focus should be on assessing whether these projects provided value for money, irrespective of their initiation or termination by different governments.

India’s Global Innovation Index (GII)

• Rankings: India’s rank in the GII has improved from 76 in 2014 to 39 in 2024.
• Comparison with Other Nations: Countries like Malaysia and Türkiye rank higher than India in the GII, with ranks of 33 and 37, respectively.
• Innovation Clusters: India has four major innovation clusters:
• Bengaluru (Rank: 56)
• Delhi (Rank: 63)
• Chennai (Rank: 82)
• Mumbai (Rank: 84)

Bengaluru vs. Silicon Valley

• Comparison: Bengaluru’s innovation cluster is often likened to Silicon Valley, particularly in terms of startups and Unicorns. However, Bengaluru's rank of 56 is significantly lower than Silicon Valley’s rank of 6.
• Cluster Intensity: The intensity of the top 100 clusters reveals:
• Bengaluru: Ranked 94
• Chennai: Ranked 96
• Delhi: Ranked 98
• Mumbai: Ranked 99
• Silicon Valley: Ranked 2
• Cambridge: Ranked 1

Patent and Scientific Publications Comparison

• Silicon Valley Cluster: High per capita PCT applications (7885) and scientific publications (9211).
• Bengaluru Cluster: Lower per capita PCT applications (313) and higher scientific publications (1077).
• Leading Patentee: Samsung Electronics (South Korea) is the leading patentee in Bengaluru, highlighting the lack of indigenous innovation.

The Subject of Start-ups

• Start-ups in other countries focus on addressing advanced challenges such as:
• Semiconductor technology
• Refining rare earth elements with ecological sensitivity
• Making metformin more affordable
• In contrast, the Indian government often highlights new apps that primarily sell food products, which do not reflect the innovative spirit seen in other nations.
• Indigenous Technology: India cannot foster start-ups without indigenous technology, which in turn relies on indigenous science.
• Quality Education: Indigenous science requires quality education that is free from political agendas and biases.
• Misconceptions about Start-ups: Two-wheeler kiranas are not true start-ups as they lack the technological and innovative components that define genuine start-ups.

Conclusion

• UGC's Role: The University Grants Commission (UGC) continues to exert control over universities, despite the Education Ministry's perspective. The UGC’s dual role of regulatory and financial authority is questioned.
• Accountability: The UGC is challenged to demonstrate that changes in teaching methods and syllabus have positively impacted industry skills and employability.
• Need for Change: There is a suggestion that India might be better off without the UGC.
• Focus on Employment: Leaders in academia and government are urged to prioritize policy implementation and youth employment over media agendas.
• Call for Voices: If leaders fail to act, independent academics will raise concerns about the education system and its impact on employability.
• Quotations: The conclusion includes a quotation by Isaac Asimov emphasizing the risks of intelligence in a context where stupidity is valued.

Prime message

Why in News?

 India needs to rally global support against Pakistan's nuclear threats. 

Introduction

 Recent remarks by Prime Minister Modi underline India’s unwavering commitment to combating terrorism and safeguarding national interests. During his address, Modi reiterated India’s stance on Pakistan’s support for terrorism and announced the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. His visit to the Adampur Air Base further showcased India’s defense preparedness. As India navigates these challenges, addressing nuclear risks and shaping global opinion remain crucial for national security. 

Prime Minister Modi's Address and Visit: Key Takeaways

• Reaffirmed India’s Strategic Approach: Prime Minister Modi emphasized that India’s response to terrorism would be characterized by clarity and resolve, signaling a shift toward a more decisive approach. 
• No Tolerance for Pakistan’s Claims: India is no longer willing to accept Pakistan's claim that terrorists are non-state actors, marking a shift in policy. The continued support of terrorist organizations by Pakistan is now seen as a direct challenge to India’s security. 
• Operation Sindoor: This ongoing operation is viewed as a continuation of India’s strategic focus on counterterrorism efforts, building upon the surgical strikes of 2016 and Balakot airstrikes of 2019, which demonstrated India’s willingness to act unilaterally in safeguarding its national security. 
• Diplomatic Engagement with Pakistan: While India remains open to diplomacy, it has made it clear that terrorism and the issue of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir will be the primary subjects of dialogue. 
• Indus Waters Treaty: Modi reiterated India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, a bold move aimed at exerting diplomatic pressure. 
• National Interest Over External Claims: Modi firmly rejected any claims of third-party mediation and reinforced that India would be guided solely by its national interests in future actions. 

Visit to Adampur Air Base (May 13, 2025)

• Strategic Reassurance: Modi’s visit to Adampur Air Base, located just 100 km from the Pakistan border, provided a symbolic and practical demonstration of India’s military readiness. 
• Debunking Pakistan’s Claim: The visit directly challenged Pakistan’s false claim that the base had been hit during the recent military face-off. It also showcased India’s robust air defense systems, especially the S-400systems. 
• Defense Systems: The base’s strategic importance was highlighted by the presence of the S-400, an advanced defense system that enhances India’s capacity to protect its airspace against potential threats from neighboring countries. 

The Path Forward

• Insulating Strategy from Populism: India’s national security strategy must be shielded from the influence of populist rhetoric or media sensationalism, which can often undermine the effectiveness of a carefully crafted defense policy. 
• Balancing Diplomacy and Covert Operations: Although high-profile covert operations may not capture media attention, they can be crucial for India in maintaining strategic superiority and achieving long-term objectives without escalating tensions. 
• Addressing Nuclear Risks: As tensions rise, especially with Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, it is crucial for India to initiate a global conversation on the risks of nuclear weapons and the potential for catastrophic consequences in the region. India must ensure that nuclear diplomacy remains a central element of its foreign policy and collaborate with other global powers to de-escalate nuclear threats. 
• Building Global Opinion Against Pakistan’s Strategy: India must continue to assert its stance on third-party interference, reinforcing that all issues between India and Pakistan should be addressed bilaterally. Global opinion needs to be shaped to expose Pakistan’s strategic use of terrorism as a weapon and its attempts at nuclear blackmail, which threaten the peace and stability of the entire region. India should foster international support to isolate Pakistan diplomatically and undermine its position on the global stage. 

Conclusion

 India’s firm stance on terrorism, national security, and strategic defense, as demonstrated by Modi's recent address and visit, highlights a determined approach to safeguarding its interests. By prioritizing diplomacy and covert operations, while addressing nuclear threats, India is setting the stage for a more secure future. Global support against Pakistan’s terrorism strategy remains crucial in maintaining regional peace.