BJP MP says declining higher education quality is worsening graduate unemployment.
Rajya Sabha Zero Hour intervention highlights mismatch between degrees and industry needs.
Krishnaiah urges urgent review of quality standards across India’s universities.
BJP leader Ryaga Krishnaiah on Friday told the Rajya Sabha that India’s higher education system is failing to keep pace with job market needs, resulting in large numbers of graduates leaving university without the skills required for employment. Raising the matter during Zero Hour, he said the gap between academic training and industry expectations has widened to a point where even well-qualified students remain jobless.
According to PTI, Krishnaiah argued that while India has built one of the world’s largest education systems, its rapid expansion has come at the cost of quality. He said, “Education is the key to progress, especially higher education, which provides cutting-edge and scheduled benefits. But the quality of higher education is declining and is a matter of concern for stakeholders as well as for the whole nation,” underlining concerns that degrees are not translating into employability.
He pointed to a “mismatch between demand and supply”, noting, as reported by PTI, that graduates “are increasingly finding themselves unemployable” because their skills do not meet current industry standards. The BJP MP listed several areas that need urgent attention: adequate numbers of qualified faculty, stronger student profiles, better infrastructure, an updated curriculum, appropriate teaching methods, reworked examination patterns, improved learning resources, effective national regulatory bodies, supportive government policies, and stronger institutional leadership.
PTI reported that Krishnaiah warned that “India cannot progress until the higher education system is qualitatively strong enough because the poor quality is resulting in low employability, low performance of specialised individuals, and lack of innovative and creative ideas, which are the key elements to assess progress.”
Calling for a broader overhaul, he urged diversification within higher education and training structures so they can respond to a shifting global landscape and varied domestic economic demands. This includes, he said, a balanced mix of public and private institutions and the integration of formal, informal, and non-formal education systems.
“We urge the government’s attention to review the main aspects related to quality concerns in higher education,” Krishnaiah said, pressing for coordinated action from stakeholders at all levels.
(With inputs from PTI)
