Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limited All rights reserved. Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran addresses the 15th CII Global Higher Education Summit in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photo: PTI Summary The CEA’s remarks come against the backdrop of the government’s move to overhaul higher education regulation through the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025. India’s Chief Economic Adviser Anantha Nageswaran has called for states to play a bigger role in driving the next phase of higher education reform in India Long-term growth will depend on how quickly universities respond to changing economic conditions and adapt to technological realities. Speaking at the CII Global Higher Education Summit in New Delhi, Nageswaran said states must move away from a high-control approach to stewardship, address faculty shortages through flexible mechanisms such as professorships, and shift the focus of regulations from inputs to outcomes. A Professor of Practice is a specialized faculty position designed to bring industry experts, practitioners, and professionals directly into the classroom. He also emphasized the need for a more entrepreneurial approach to public administration, and that financing of higher education institutions should be based on differentiated roles and measurable outcomes rather than uniform rules. Regulatory review The CEA’s comments come against the backdrop of the government’s move to review higher education regulation through the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, which aims to reduce regulatory control, strengthen accreditation and shift oversight to outcomes, while giving institutions greater autonomy. The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 15 and referred to a joint parliamentary committee for wider scrutiny. The bill seeks to replace the existing regulator-heavy framework by creating a single overarching body for higher education and doing away with multiple layers of control. Its focus areas include reducing regulatory oversight, shifting from input-based to outcome-based regulation, improving institutional autonomy, promoting multidisciplinary education and research, and improving transparency and accountability in line with the National Education Policy, 2020. Experts divided on new bill Some educators and start-up founders welcomed the central criticism while others welcomed the central criticism. Dr Sanjeet Singh, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Marwadi University, a private university in Rajkot, said: “The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill is a decisive step in repositioning Indian higher education from degree-focused learning to capability-led nation-building. It empowers universities to transform research into real global patent impact. ethical innovators and globally competitive talent for India’s future.” Arjun Mohan, founder of startup consultancy EdStart, said: “The UGC’s role as both an awarding authority and a regulator has been somewhat complicated. Moving towards a clearer, cleaner regulatory structure is a positive step as it brings more transparency and clarity in oversight and registration.” He added that the bill seeks to replace the UGC-led model by clearly separating regulation, accreditation and funding functions under a streamlined institutional framework. However, Dr Shyma Jose, assistant professor of economics at Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University, said: “The new bill represents an excessive centralization of higher education, stripping existing bodies like the UGC, AICTE and NCTE of their regulatory powers. By separating funding from regulation, it risks turning financial support into a tool to reward or penetrate the party’s ruling institutions.” She added: “Such a centralized framework could lead to punitive annual audits, increased job insecurity, steep fee increases and further privatization of higher education. Moreover, the commission’s governance structure appears to be dominated by bureaucrats rather than academics, with no clear provisions to ensure representation of marginalized groups.” Demographic window The CEA emphasized that higher education reform is becoming increasingly urgent as India approaches a demographic inflection point, with millions of young people expected to enter the workforce over the next two decades. “The quality, relevance and adaptability of universities will determine whether this demographic dividend translates into sustained economic growth or becomes a missed opportunity,” he said. Nageswaran also called for deeper industry involvement in curriculum design, research and management, pointing out that closer collaboration could help education align with the needs of the labor market. “Industry can co-design curricula, offer credit-bearing internships, support applied research, share infrastructure and participate meaningfully in governance,” he said, adding that collaboration between the union government, states, industry and citizens can help India position itself as a global hub for learning and ideas. The CEA said the global higher education landscape is undergoing a structural shift, with traditional destination countries facing demographic, fiscal and political constraints, and Asia emerging as a new center for learning, research and innovation. This, he said, gave India the opportunity to attract international students, provided domestic institutions were equipped to compete on quality and outcomes. According to the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), a body of the commerce ministry, India’s education market is growing rapidly and is projected to touch $313 billion by FY30, up from $117 billion in FY23. Higher education alone was valued at $68.06 billion in 2024, and is expected to nearly double to $134.84 billion by 2033, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.1%. The K-12 segment, valued at $48.9 billion in 2023, is also growing rapidly and is estimated to reach $125.8 billion by 2032, at a CAGR of 10.7%. One nation, one regulator Anil Sahasrabudhe, chairman of the National Education Technology Forum, speaking on the occasion said recent reforms lay the foundation for a more student-centric and future-ready higher education ecosystem. He said the proposed regulatory framework aimed to bring all higher education regulators under a single umbrella with single-window approval, enabling institutions to offer multidisciplinary programs with greater ease. Emphasizing the role of the National Education Policy, 2020, Sahasrabudhe said initiatives like the National Credit Framework and digital enablers like APAR ID give students greater flexibility through modular learning paths and verifiable, paperless academic credentials. While emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, and digital platforms are powerful tools, he said human intelligence, ethics and values must remain central to education. Naushad Forbes, former president of CII and chairman of the CII National Higher Education, R&D, Technology and Innovation Council, said the most durable source of resilience for any economy is the quality of its human capital. Forbes, who also spoke at the event, argued that economic transformation depends not only on generating knowledge but on helping skilled individuals transform ideas into practical outcomes. He also called for a significant increase in public research funding within universities and greater institutional autonomy. Corporate participation grows The emphasis on state-led reforms and outcome-based regulation in higher education is consistent with the evolution of corporate participation in education. A CII study on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in education, released at the CII summit on Wednesday, noted that education has emerged as the single largest area of corporate social spending in India, accounting for nearly a third of total CSR expenditure, or around ₹12,000 crore in FY24. The study said most CSR-funded education programs are closely aligned with national priorities such as basic literacy and numeracy, skills development and rural inclusion, areas in which state governments play a crucial role in implementation. However, the report also highlighted structural gaps that reinforced the CEA’s call for institutional reform, notably faculty shortages, uneven regulatory capacity and poor sustainability once funding cycles ended. Corporates report that while learning outcomes and access have improved, long-term continuity depends heavily on stronger public institutions and clearer governance frameworks, particularly at the state level, it said. The report said that although CSR in education is entering a more mature phase, with rising year-on-year investments and better monitoring systems, it has limited influence on systemic reform. Get all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download the Mint News app to get daily market updates. more topics #chief economic advisor Read next story