The renowned Economist magazine published a provocative piece on India’s higher education in its June 6, 2025, issue. India has 20% of the world’s university-age population, and yet none of our universities are ranked in the top hundred in the world. Some of the brightest products of our elite educational institutions are migrating abroad, and top students are pursuing higher education in the OECD countries. Over 330,000 Indian students are enrolled in US universities, and they are spending an estimated $15-25 billion annually. Despite the enormous competition for securing admission in STEM courses and in reputed institutions, there is a broad consensus that our universities are not successful in harnessing our potential.

One of the common concerns in India is about brain drain. Ordinarily, when 40 million students are enrolled in universities, the migration of a million persons abroad should not matter; in fact, exposure to the best science and technology in the world helps our country. But most university students acquire very little real education and skills; only about 10-15% of our graduates are comparable to their counterparts in developed countries. When only about one to two million graduates meet global standards, the migration of half of them hurts the country.

But the answer does not lie in restricting migration or penalising those who seek opportunities abroad. It is said that brain drain is better than brain in the drain! We need to create opportunities for........

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