Higher education should be locally grounded, globally competitive

Higher education institutes must be autonomous and accountable; innovative and credible.

- MAMIDALA JAGADESH KUMAR

India's education centers have long been more than just places of instruction. They have been social and cultural anchors. From the renowned centers like Nalanda and Takshashila, where scholars engaged in dialogue with visitors from East and Central Asia, to the entrepreneurial and innovation-driven hubs of contemporary India, universities have always reflected the aspirations of their surrounding communities while shaping them.

Such institutions were vital because they were open to ideas, combined with a foundation in societal realities.

Universities do well when they balance academic autonomy and social responsibility. Nalanda did not attract scholars merely because it pursued abstract knowledge. Scholars came because it responded to the philosophical, spiritual, and practical needs of its age. In today's India, universities must gain relevance by engaging with issues such as poverty alleviation, rural development, technological self-reliance, and national identity. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is rooted in this tradition. It emphasizes interdisciplinarity, collaborative research, and openness to new ideas while encouraging each institution to follow its vision.

This delicate equilibrium between academic freedom and accountability, as well as heterogeneity and coherence, keeps universities meaningful to their societies.

Indian higher education campuses are vibrant precisely because they have served as forums for exchange, discussion, and creativity. Such conversations sharpen critical reasoning and nurture democratic values. The substantive issue is not whether universities should welcome tough questions. Of course they should. That is a given. The genuine challenge is figuring out how to turn those questions into something productive that drives reform and sparks innovation.