CEO SPEAKS

2025: The Year Indian Education Crossed the Inflection Point

- DR SANKU BOSE

As we close 2025, let's admit it. This year will be remembered as a defining turning point for Indian education and the job ecosystem.

Degrees alone no longer prove capability. Skills do. In an age shaped by Artificial Intelligence (AI), what you know today can become outdated tomorrow. The demand for high-skill, adaptable professionals is only rising and education has finally begun responding to this reality.

Just as importantly, the long-discussed transformation of higher education has moved from intent to action. Clear policy direction, institutional courage and a sharp focus on employability have pushed the system out of inertia. Change is no longer theoretical. Here are five shifts from 2025 that clearly mark this transformation.

HIGHER EDUCATION MOVED FROM CONTROL TO TRUST

For decades, Indian universities struggled under layers of approvals and overlapping regulators. Innovation was slowed, sometimes completely blocked. In 2025, this began to change.

The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill signalled a move away from micromanagement towards principle-based governance. Instead of dictating processes, the focus shifted to outcomes.

With fewer bureaucratic hurdles, universities gained the freedom to design programmes aligned with global standards and industry needs. Accountability remained, but without suffocating control.

EMPLOYABILITY BECAME THE REAL REPORT CARD