Globalisation taught the world to look at India as a market first and a culture second. Beauty pageant crowns once signalled the discovery of a lucrative consumer base. A similar shift is unfolding in education, where India’s enormous learner population has turned schooling itself into an export opportunity for others and a purchasing decision for us. India is now the world’s most populous country and has the largest cohort of young people, a demographic fact that powerfully shapes how governments and corporations view the education sector. With India projected by the UN to become the world’s most populous country by 2023, our classrooms represent the largest learner base on the planet. This is why headlines now highlight foreign campuses and cross-border degree pipelines. During the UK Prime Minister’s October 2025 visit, Britain confirmed that its universities will establish new campuses in India, calling this a growth opportunity for its economy—presenting higher education as a tradable service. At least two UK universities, Lancaster and Surrey, have received approval, with several more in discussions. The framework comes from the 2022–23 regulations that allowed select foreign universities to establish independent campuses, following early examples like Deakin University at GIFT City. The term “education export” reveals that degrees, brands, and syllabi now move across borders much like any other commodity. Coaching economy Yet, an abundance of providers does not equate to an abundance of education. Over the past few decades, coaching, once a modest aid for board exams, has grown into a parallel system that shapes academic futures and often impacts family finances. Kota’s expansion into a coaching hub exemplifies this shift, with a student population exceeding 150,000 before the pandemic and approximately 30 student suicides recorded in 2023. The market now starts before school and continues after graduation. ‘Garbha sanskar’ packages complement ‘nursery admissions consulting,’ followed by bundled test prep for IIT-JEE, NEET, UPSC, and state civil services. Each stage leads to hostels, study rooms, subscription platforms, and financing options. Meanwhile, public recruitment declines, and many graduates, including engineers, turn toward government exams, increasing demand for more coaching. The private cost of schooling rises, but the public benefits in scientific ability, civic skills, and social empathy are less certain. ASER 2023 found that over half of rural youth aged 14–18 cannot solve a basic three-digit division, and about a quarter struggle to read a Grade-II text fluently. Even as access expands, real learning often stalls. Moral compass This moral tension has long been identified by thinkers who saw education as more than just job training. Rabindranath Tagore insisted that learning must connect children with nature and community, allowing minds “to stumble upon and be surprised.” Jiddu Krishnamurti warned that conformity stifles intelligence; he believed the purpose of education is to help learners see through thought patterns that trap them. Both advocates emphasized curiosity and inner freedom over compliance. Sir Ken Robinson, in his famous 2006 TED Talk, echoed this concern: “Creativity is as important as literacy.” He noted that when schools suppress imagination, they produce generations of risk-averse adults. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam added an ethical perspective: “The purpose of education is to make good human beings with skill and expertise,” intentionally placing goodness before skill. Later, economist Amartya Sen offered a structured framework - the capability approach - which defines development as the expansion of people’s real freedoms. An education that limits options through fear or strict sorting, by this standard, is a failure. Measured against these standards, much of modern practice seems misaligned. Middle school students prepare for professional entrance exams before discovering their own interests. Parents choose brands instead of educational methods. Universities promote placements more than research labs. Employers complain that graduates lack problem-solving and writing skills. The highly educated often seem least connected to the community. We are marketing children for a market rather than preparing citizens for society. India’s path forward need not be nostalgic. It can rebuild purpose through evidence-based reform, by prioritizing educational intent over mere access. Foreign campuses permitted in India should invest part of their effort in strengthening domestic research, especially in basic sciences that fuel innovation. With its vast youth base, India can revive physics and mathematics alongside software studies, nurturing inquiry-driven rather than placement-driven learning. The tyranny of single-shot, high-stakes exams must give way to modular assessments that allow multiple attempts and feedback loops. International evidence shows that spreading evaluation over time improves both learning and mental health. Curiosity must be reintroduced into early education. Tagore’s nature-rich classrooms and Krishnamurti’s emphasis on self-awareness are now reflected in outdoor science lessons, local history walks, civic projects, school gardens, maker spaces and revival of art and music. Governments must invest profoundly in teachers. A teacher’s development, research time, and well-being must be regarded as national assets. Finally, recognize student mental health as essential infrastructure. Every district should have trained counsellors, confidential helplines, and parent education programs. The civic purpose of education also needs to be restored. An educated person should be able to identify species in a neighbourhood park, write a letter to a local government office, explain why local elections matter, and volunteer without expecting recognition. A system that prepares children solely for markets may produce efficient workers and anxious adults. A system that educates for freedom fosters confident innovators and compassionate citizens. Tagore wanted minds that could be surprised; Krishnamurti wanted minds that could be free; Robinson wanted schools that honour creativity; Kalam wanted education to make good human beings; Sen wanted development to be freedom. Learning, at its best, expands life itself. Unless we accept this truth, our children will grow up beautifully wrapped yet empty inside. (Sunjay Awate is an Editor with Lokmat, Pune; Dr Kishore Paknikar is the former Director, Agharkar Research Institute, Pune and Visiting Professor, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. Views personal.)
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