India’s higher education sector is the largest in the world with a total enrolment of 35.7 million students. According to the All India Survey of Higher Education 2016-17, there are 864 universities, 40,026 colleges and 11,669 stand-alone institutions in the country. Additionally, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) data suggests that more than 3,200 institutions award degrees in engineering.
But there’s no doubt that the typical college, whether public or private; whether for arts, science, commerce or engineering, is mediocre. A college degree from such an institution adds no value to a student’s career or life.
Private institutions – where 67.3% of India’s 35.7 million students are enrolled – are far more expensive than public institutions and burden students with debt which most of them are unlikely to repay. Even after an expensive college education, the employability rate of most college graduates is