Reimagine the Public University: Challenges of Change

The policy environment of higher education in India is currently in flux. It reflects diverse shades and systems. There is a pressing need for a non-partisan analysis of its emerging contours. The traditional binary of public and private is no longer sufficient, and what was once considered foreign is now an integral part of the evolving educational landscape. The post-1990 period marks a watershed moment in the developmental trajectory of the Indian state. Gradually, the state has shifted from a maximalist to a minimalist stance on higher education. Today, higher education policy appears to be a conundrum. While private and foreign entities continue to make inroads into the Indian market, the state remains obligated to rebuild trust in public university as a merit organisation or else it may meet the fate of old “ambassador car” in the competitive car bazar.

The Policy Environment

The Subramaniam Committee (2016), the Kasturirangan Committee (2019), and the Ambani-Birla Report (2000) reveal the thought processes and direction of the state regarding higher education management. The decline of public university has led to a growing belief that the private sector and foreign players can meet the demand for quality education through innovation and superior management practices. However, from a bottom-up perspective, the Indian state must work to restore trust in public university. From the meritocrats’ viewpoint, private and international institutions are needed to infuse positive competition, preventing public universities from turning into expanding deserts. Higher education institutions cannot function in a policy vacuum. The prevailing headwinds must be understood, and the signs interpreted in a world fraught with uncertainty. A university, by its very essence, must reflect global concerns in its intellectual scope. Its moral horizon is universal. Yet, universities and colleges exist in specific regions, catering to distinct social strata with localized needs. These realities must inform both policy formulation and implementation.

Formulations for Policy Discourse

First, the future of our students is both challenging and exciting. The current buzzword is “career-ready and future focussed curriculum”. Employers today seek not just academic credentials but individuals capable of problem-solving, quick adaptation, and critical thinking. Potential and pedigree are both crucial. Foundational skills-communication and creativity—have become core academic pillars. Parents expect universities to instil confidence, provide hands-on experience and remain in sync with real-world demands. As academics we need to step in and ensure equilibrium in the system. An excessive managerial shift across all disciplines is socially hazardous, intellectually stifling, and ethically indefensible. As Professor Ashley warns, the “MBAisation” of academia must be curtailed.

Second, degrees are increasingly losing their value. In the 1980s, some policymakers proposed delinking degrees from jobs, a move that ultimately failed. Ronald Dore’s seminal book The Diploma Disease (1976) offers a structural explanation for the growing obsession with accumulating degrees. Dore links this trend to the devaluation of qualifications. Despite economic growth, employment opportunities have not expanded proportionately. Job market volatility fuels anxiety, prompting youth to pursue multiple degrees. This pursuit carries an opportunity cost—time and resources that could have been used more productively. Yet, there appears to be little serious policy discourse on this issue within higher education institutions.

Third, the Parliamentary Standing Committee report tabled in the Rajya Sabha on February 4, 2025, highlighted the government’s gradual retreat from public education. It also noted that the draft Higher Education Commission of India Bill—which aims to replace the UGC with a single regulator—would eliminate state oversight and potentially push privatization into rural areas. The NEP20 similarly mentions exploring higher cost recovery, while ostensibly protecting needy students. Surprisingly, Kerala with a left democratic government has already passed the Kerala State Private Universities (Establishment and Regulation) Bill. We are told that students in Kerala are losing faith in public universities and migrating out of the state. Some lawmakers are even advocating for global universities to establish campuses in Kerala.

Despite exercising considerable autonomy in education, the state struggles to restore faith in its fourteen-plus public universities. The cost of education in private institutions such as Ashoka or Jindal Global University ranges from Rs 20 to Rs 25 lakhs annually for an undergraduate liberal arts degree while as education in public universities costs only ₹10,000 to ₹50,000 per student. The Higher Education Department of Jammu and Kashmir has drafted a policy enabling the establishment of private universities in the Union Territory. Once approved, this policy will officially allow private universities to operate in the region throwing new challenges to public universities.

Fourth, on March 7, 2025, during the budget session, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced the establishment of a National Law University in Jammu and Kashmir, allocating ₹50 crores in initial funding. This move aligns with efforts to elevate the quality of legal education, as seen elsewhere in the country. Around the same time, Anil Rai Gupta, Managing Director of Havells India, provided ₹250 crores to establish a “New Management School” at Ashoka University, modelled on institutions like the Wharton School (USA) and the Stern School of Business (New York University). There is growing demand for high quality “Business and public policy schools” in Kashmir—institutions capable of designing and evaluating impactful programs in education, health, and more. The public university administrators in Jammu and Kashmir need to find out the reasons as to why their Legal Studies and Business Schools have lost public trust.

Fifth, in line with the NEP and UGC Regulations (2023), foreign educational institutions have begun setting up campuses in India. The draft regulations even allow remittances to the parent university and provide complete autonomy in hiring faculty and staff. This is how a foreign university takes root. Deakin University (Australia) was the first to open a teaching campus in India, located in Gujarat’s GIFT City under the International Financial Services Centres Authority Regulations.

The University of Liverpool is set to open a campus in Bengaluru in 2026, with plans to unroll 10,000 students over a decade. Its China campus already hosts 27,000 students. The University of Southampton is preparing to launch operations in Gurugram. Additionally, German Ambassador in India Dr. Philipp Ackermann recently announced that 80 German universities will visit India to strengthen educational collaborations. Currently, 50,000 Indian students study in Germany. According to economist Deepanshu Mohan, a degree from a foreign university based in India could cost ₹10 to ₹15 lakhs per year. This figure should give pause to those responsible for India’s public universities.

Conclusion

Despite higher financial burden, India’s middle-class is increasingly opting for international Board Schools. As of 2025, India hosts the second-largest number of international schools in the world—972 in total—not just in name but through affiliation with global education boards. These parents are now looking toward foreign universities operating in India, thereby creating a strong support base for international education providers. In this some cities/regions are competing to be hubs of international education. Pune is called the “Oxford of India,” and National Capital Region is hub of private universities like Ashoka and Jindal. Globally Dubai has established an International Academic city. Kashmir can also become a hub of international education. The region is welcoming, well-connected, and culturally rich. Let a thousand flowers bloom, but let no one be deprived of affordable, quality education.

Prof Gull Wani is Kashmir based Political Scientist and Honorary senior fellow centre for Multilevel Federalism New Delhi