Nalanda 2.0 has an exceptional team Board of Directors, and Global Advisory Council consisting of leaders from the academia, industry and civil society. The team collectively has leadership, academic, administrative, and educational experiences from several world-class multidisciplinary research universities such as Stanford, Harvard, UC Berkeley and UC San Diego, and India's premier institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). Team also includes a growing group of volunteers and supporters.
Enabling individual, societal and national growth
Higher education system, which is all post-secondary education, is the bedrock of individual, societal, and national growth. A world-class higher education system not only prepares young people for fulfilling careers and lifelong learning but also upskills professionals, drives innovation, spurs entrepreneurship, solves societal and industrial challenges, and contributes to a more dynamic economy.
Point #1: Higher Education is the Bedrock of Individual, Societal, and National Growth.
Higher education system, which is all post-secondary education, is the bedrock of individual, societal, and national growth. A world-class higher education system not only prepares young people for fulfilling careers and lifelong learning but also upskills professionals, drives innovation, spurs entrepreneurship, solves societal and industrial challenges, and contributes to a more dynamic economy.
India’s population of 1.4 billion people is over 1/6th of the global humanity. And, about 50% are below the age of 25 years (Census 2011). Further, there are 20-26 million children born in India every year. As a reference, Australia’s population is approximately 24 million.
Thus, in the next 35-50 years, India has to prepare and educate 700 million to 1.3 billion young men and women for their lives and careers. This is India’s defining challenge and opportunity of the 21st century!
India must also address its mega challenges—problems that affect over 100 million people each—such as water, health, energy, law and order, urban migration, climate change, and poverty.
A vibrant higher education system is the engine that can address all these challenges and opportunities. However, India's higher education system is in crisis. Six metrics, taken together, point towards a crisis in India's higher education system:
Even after over 70 years of independence India does not have even one world-class multidisciplinary research university. And, just one university was ranked in the Top 500 of Global Rankings (ARWU, 2020).
Its premier institutions of IITs, IIMs, and AIIMS enroll less than 0.5% of students. (estimates, various sources)
Parents are spending close to $50 Billion in private coaching to improve their child's chances of making it into these premier institutions or sending them overseas for higher education. (various sources)
India's gross enrollment ratio (GER), one of the measures of access, is a measly 27% (UNESCO, 2015).
Industry finds 75-90% of those graduating from India's colleges and universities unemployable. (various sources)
Industry is spending 6-12 months in training these recent graduates for productive work. (various sources)
Everyone is paying a hefty price for this crisis: students, parents, industry, society and the nation.
Point #2: India's Higher Education System is in Crisis.
India’s population of 1.4 billion people is over 1/6th of the global humanity. And, about 50% are below the age of 25 years (Census 2011). Further, there are 20-26 million children born in India every year. As a reference, Australia’s population is approximately 24 million.
Thus, in the next 35-50 years, India has to prepare and educate 700 million to 1.3 billion young men and women for their lives and careers. This is India’s defining challenge and opportunity of the 21st century!
India must also address its mega challenges—problems that affect over 100 million people each—such as water, health, energy, law and order, urban migration, climate change, and poverty.
A vibrant higher education system is the engine that can address all these challenges and opportunities. However, India's higher education system is in crisis. Six metrics, taken together, point towards a crisis in India's higher education system:
Even after over 70 years of independence India does not have even one world-class multidisciplinary research university. And, just one university was ranked in the Top 500 of Global Rankings (ARWU, 2020).
Its premier institutions of IITs, IIMs, and AIIMS enroll less than 0.5% of students. (estimates, various sources)
Parents are spending close to $50 Billion in private coaching to improve their child's chances of making it into these premier institutions or sending them overseas for higher education. (various sources)
India's gross enrollment ratio (GER), one of the measures of access, is a measly 27% (UNESCO, 2015).
Industry finds 75-90% of those graduating from India's colleges and universities unemployable. (various sources)
Industry is spending 6-12 months in training these recent graduates for productive work. (various sources)
Everyone is paying a hefty price for this crisis: students, parents, industry, society and the nation.
Implementing 5-Big Ideas can transform India's higher education system and make it world-class. Now.
Establish 50-100 world-class multidisciplinary research universities. These would be a combination of existing institutions that are transformed into world-class multidisciplinary research universities and new universities started and sustained as world-class multidisciplinary research universities.
Develop a master plan at the state level so that each state has a complementary set of research universities, masters and undergraduate colleges and universities, and community colleges.
Remove British Raj (colonial) rules and regulations that are coming in the way of the transformation.
Leverage MOOCs, technology, and innovations to provide an excellent education to all, now.
Attract the best and the brightest talent to be faculty members in colleges and universities by instituting market-based compensation, and a merit-based incentive and accountability system.
Point #3: 5-Big Ideas Can Make India's Higher Education System World-Class.
Implementing 5-Big Ideas can transform India's higher education system and make it world-class. Now.
Establish 50-100 world-class multidisciplinary research universities. These would be a combination of existing institutions that are transformed into world-class multidisciplinary research universities and new universities started and sustained as world-class multidisciplinary research universities.
Develop a master plan at the state level so that each state has a complementary set of research universities, masters and undergraduate colleges and universities, and community colleges.
Remove British Raj (colonial) rules and regulations that are coming in the way of the transformation.
Leverage MOOCs, technology, and innovations to provide an excellent education to all, now.
Attract the best and the brightest talent to be faculty members in colleges and universities by instituting market-based compensation, and a merit-based incentive and accountability system.
World-class higher education system has proven to unleash the potential of the people, spur the research, innovation, and start-up ecosystem, and address important problems that matter to the society.
Currently, India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita is $6,700 and on this metric it is ranked 160th among 230 nations (CIA World Fact Book, 2016). Powered by a vibrant higher education system India can raise its GDP/capita to the upper echelons in the near future. Thus, this is a $10 trillion opportunity for India.
Point #4: Making India's Higher Education System World-Class is a $10 Trillion Opportunity.
World-class higher education system has proven to unleash the potential of the people, spur the research, innovation, and start-up ecosystem, and address important problems that matter to the society.
Currently, India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita is $6,700 and on this metric it is ranked 160th among 230 nations (CIA World Fact Book, 2016). Powered by a vibrant higher education system India can raise its GDP/capita to the upper echelons in the near future. Thus, this is a $10 trillion opportunity for India.
A more prosperous India benefits not only its own nation and people but also the United States and global community.
As the world's largest and oldest democracies, India and the U.S. share common interests in fostering economic growth and promoting a peaceful, secure world. India's population of 1.4 billion includes approximately 700 million people under the age of 24, representing 17.5% of the global population and 21.6% of the world's children and youth. Therefore, transforming India's higher education system is crucial for the country's development and a critical contribution to global progress.
Sources and additional references for the 5-Point Case:
What can Andhra Pradesh learn from California, a trailblazer in knowledge economy (Shail Kumar, Nalanda 2.0 Blog)
Lessons from Nalanda University of ancient times and Stanford University of modern era for a new India (Shail Kumar, NHRD Network Journal, January 2018 volume 10)
The Time to Reform India’s Education System is Now (Shail Kumar, Fair Observer)
Watch a 10-minute TED-style talk on India's Higher Education: A $10 Trillion Opportunity! at the IIT Leadership Conference (Shail Kumar, Nalanda 2.0 Video and Photos)
Building Golden India: How to unleash India's vast potential and transform its higher education system. Now. (Shail Kumar, 2015)
Point #5: This is an Important and Urgent Matter for India, US and Global Humanity.
A more prosperous India benefits not only its own nation and people but also the United States and global community.
As the world's largest and oldest democracies, India and the U.S. share common interests in fostering economic growth and promoting a peaceful, secure world. India's population of 1.4 billion includes approximately 700 million people under the age of 24, representing 17.5% of the global population and 21.6% of the world's children and youth. Therefore, transforming India's higher education system is crucial for the country's development and a critical contribution to global progress.
Sources and additional references for the 5-Point Case:
What can Andhra Pradesh learn from California, a trailblazer in knowledge economy (Shail Kumar, Nalanda 2.0 Blog)
Lessons from Nalanda University of ancient times and Stanford University of modern era for a new India (Shail Kumar, NHRD Network Journal, January 2018 volume 10)
The Time to Reform India’s Education System is Now (Shail Kumar, Fair Observer)
Watch a 10-minute TED-style talk on India's Higher Education: A $10 Trillion Opportunity! at the IIT Leadership Conference (Shail Kumar, Nalanda 2.0 Video and Photos)
Building Golden India: How to unleash India's vast potential and transform its higher education system. Now. (Shail Kumar, 2015)