Higher Education Important To Become Global Hub of Knowledge: Dr Shashank Shah

At the Business Conclave & Awards 2025, Dr. Shashank Shah, Director and Senior Specialist in Higher Education and Viksit Bharat Perspective Planning at NITI Aayog, emphasized the critical role of higher education in shaping India’s future as a global knowledge hub and innovation leader.

Dr. Shah highlighted that for India to become the start-up capital of the world and foster innovation, higher education must play a foundational and strategic role. "If India is to reclaim its place of glory among nations and produce leaders who are both noble and capable, our higher education system must evolve to meet these ambitions," he stated.

Talking about the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Dr Shah explained that in terms of access, "our gross enrollment ratio in higher education is for 28 percent and this is expected to rise to 50 percent by 2035. That means we would double the number of students in higher education from about 2.3 crores over eight crores in just about a decade. That means four crores few students will be entering the higher education ecosystem, and hence, expansion is a very vital priority of higher education in the next three decades."

He also acknowledged the progress India is making in improving the quality of education. "It is a matter of great pride that India is the second Asian nation to feature among the largest universities globally in the US rankings last year," he said.

Dr. Shah further highlighted the remarkable achievement of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, which recorded the highest faculty citation rate worldwide in the 2023 US university rankings, surpassing even Ivy League institutions. His remarks underscore the government’s focus on strengthening higher education as a means to drive innovation, global competitiveness, and visionary leadership.