Dipak Kurmi
India, the world’s second-largest higher education system, stands at a defining crossroads. With 4.33 crore students and nearly 15 lakh faculty across 1,168 universities, 45,473 colleges, and 12,002 standalone institutions, the country’s higher education landscape is immense in scale and complexity. While elite institutions like the IITs, IIMs, and Central Universities capture the imagination and dominate policy narratives, the real bulwark of Indian higher education lies elsewhere — in the nearly 500 State Public Universities (SPUs) and their over 46,000 affiliated institutions. These SPUs, often overlooked in national discourse, cater to over 80 per cent of all students and are, therefore, not just regional academic hubs but national assets in grooming the next generation of Indian talent.
Technically established through State legislation and funded by their respective State Governments, SPUs are the most direct educational interface for the majority of India’s youth. Yet, despite their phenomenal reach, the quality of education imparted by many SPUs remains uneven. Several factors are to blame: inadequate physical and digital infrastructure, a persistent shortage of qualified faculty, underfunded research ecosystems, and a yawning employability gap that threatens to derail India’s demographic dividend. These challenges are not isolated but systemic, deeply embedded in the structural neglect of the higher education sector at the state level.
Data from the 14th and 15th Finance Commission periods presents a sobering picture. Although the devolution of funds to States has increased, this has not translated into greater spending on higher education. On the contrary, between 2015 and 2020, the median growth in higher education expenditure by States dropped to 6.6 per cent, down from 10 per cent in the preceding two decades. Some States even registered negative growth. As a result, SPUs remain cash-strapped, unable to upgrade facilities, attract or retain quality faculty, or invest meaningfully in research and innovation.
At the same time, the NEP 2020 sets an ambitious target — increasing Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education to 50 per cent by 2035, which will mean doubling enrolment to nearly 9 crore students. Given the existing structure, a substantial majority of these new entrants will continue to study in SPUs. This projection makes one thing abundantly clear: the transformation of State Public Universities is not just a desirable reform — it is a national imperative.
In response to these realities, NITI Aayog’s recent report, Expanding Quality Higher Education through States and State Public Universities, brings the spotlight back onto SPUs. Based on consultations with over 20 States and 50 SPUs, the report offers nearly 80 policy recommendations across 12 key themes, charting a comprehensive roadmap to elevate SPUs into engines of excellence. Rather than taking a uniform approach, it recognises the heterogeneity across institutions and suggests differentiated strategies, especially focusing on ‘Leading’ SPUs — those in the top 50 of the NIRF 2024 rankings — as torchbearers of systemic change.
One transformative idea is the creation of research hubs and centres of excellence through institutional clusters. Such collaborations would allow SPUs to pool resources, align with regional development priorities, and leverage their collective core competencies. Additionally, holistic education — integrating environment consciousness, ethical reasoning, and global citizenship — must be institutionalised, not merely as supplementary co-curricular activity, but as an intrinsic part of the academic and student development framework.
Crucially, the report recommends that ‘Leading’ SPUs be mentored to evolve into MERUs — Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities — as envisaged by the NEP. This would require granting them greater governance and financial autonomy, particularly in curriculum design, faculty recruitment, and administrative functioning. These freedoms, however, must be matched with institutional capacity building, ensuring that autonomy does not devolve into disorder but translates into accountable and effective academic leadership.
One of the central challenges facing SPUs is inadequate funding, and the report rightly advocates for an all-hands-on-deck approach. Mobilising resources from government, industry, philanthropy, and alumni networks is essential. Empowering SPUs to launch self-financed programmes in high-demand areas, establish consultancy wings, tap into CSR funds, and explore PPP models for infrastructure and research can help build sustainable financial ecosystems. Importantly, inflation-adjusted fee-setting powers for SPUs should be paired with robust merit-cum-means scholarships to ensure equitable access and prevent financial barriers from excluding deserving students.
A central concern remains employability. Faculty in SPUs must be incentivised to co-design industry-relevant courses and engage actively with employers, sector skill councils, and trade bodies. Embedding apprenticeships and internships within degree programmes and shifting from a job-seeking to a job-creating mindset will help bridge the education-employment divide. Equally critical is the need to strengthen soft skills — language proficiency, digital literacy, and lifelong learning — to prepare students not just for their first job but for careers in an ever-evolving economy.
The report also calls attention to underutilised infrastructure in many SPUs, advocating for their use in delivering short-term skilling programmes during evening hours. This approach serves the dual purpose of expanding access to vocational training and generating additional institutional revenue.
For SPUs to effectively implement such sweeping reforms, enabling policy mechanisms must be put in place at the State level. State Higher Education Councils and State-level NITI Aayogs must work together to create 2047 Vision Roadmaps for higher education, tailored to local needs and priorities. These must identify priority areas for investment, governance reform, research support, and faculty development. State Governments must also embrace a “regulator-facilitator” role, encouraging innovation while maintaining quality assurance.
India’s higher education story is often told through the lens of its premier institutions. But the road to a Viksit Bharat — a developed India by 2047 — runs through its State Public Universities. These institutions, embedded deeply within India’s social, linguistic, and economic diversity, are uniquely positioned to democratise knowledge, foster regional innovation, and ensure inclusive national progress.
To revitalise them is to affirm faith in the transformative power of education. The stakes are high: failure would leave millions underserved and India’s growth potential unrealised. But success — if rooted in vision, will, and investment — would not only elevate India’s global standing as a knowledge power but also fulfil the promise of equitable opportunity for every aspiring student, from the hills of Himachal to the coast of Kerala, from the tribal belts of Odisha to the urban sprawls of Maharashtra.
The destiny of India’s youth is inseparably tied to the destiny of its State Public Universities. If we wish to build a future-ready, knowledge-driven, and inclusive India, then transforming SPUs into vibrant, high-quality institutions must become not just a policy objective, but a national mission.
(The writer can be reached at dipakkurmiglpltd@gmail.com)
