Centralisation, Commercialisation, and Communalisation in Indian education

  • Post category:polity

Based on the article “The ‘3Cs’ that haunt Indian education today” by Smt. Sonia Gandhi, focusing on the themes of centralisation, commercialisation, and communalisation in Indian education

Topic: Challenges in Indian Education – The 3 Cs: Centralisation, Commercialisation, Communalisation

Introduction: Context of NEP 2020

  • The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was introduced with much publicity but masks a deeper governmental indifference toward inclusive and equitable education.
  • The government’s current education agenda is centered around three key threats:
    • Centralisation
    • Commercialisation
    • Communalisation

1. Centralisation

  • Over the last decade, the Union Government has increasingly centralized control over education.
  • The Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), which includes ministers from both Centre and States, hasn’t met since 2019.
  • NEP 2020 was adopted without meaningful consultation with state governments, despite education being a Concurrent List subject.
  • This has led to a ‘bullying tendency’, where the Centre:
    • Forces states to implement PM-SHRI by withholding funds.
    • Delays Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) grants to non-compliant states.
  • The proposed University Grants Commission (UGC) reforms (2025) seek to remove state governments from the process of appointing Vice-Chancellors in state universities—viewed as a serious threat to federalism.

2. Commercialisation

  • The government’s policies, under NEP, have led to an increased privatisation of the education system:
    • RTE (Right to Education) was diluted by allowing private unaided schools more room to operate without obligations of inclusivity.
    • School complexes and large-scale closures of government schools have become common, pushing more students toward private institutions.
    • Between 2014–2021, nearly 89,441 government schools were closed, while 42,944 private unaided schools were established.
  • Higher education has seen:
    • Rise of EdTech platforms, unregulated and profit-driven.
    • HEFA loans instead of grants, making institutions debt-burdened.
    • Entry of foreign universities under loose regulation.
    • Public testing agencies (like NTA) involved in alleged corruption and malfunction.

3. Communalisation

  • There is a visible push to align education content with majoritarian ideology.
  • Textbook revisions have dropped or distorted references to Nehru, Gandhi, and pluralistic values.
  • Public pressure forced NCERT to reverse changes, but ideological control remains visible.
  • Institutional appointments are being influenced by political leanings, undermining academic merit.
  • Top institutions (IITs, IIMs) and cultural bodies are allegedly being filled with individuals loyal to the ruling ideology.

Consequences of the 3 Cs

  • Equity and inclusiveness in education have declined.
  • The spirit of cooperative federalism has been eroded.
  • Academic autonomy is under threat due to political control.
  • The education system now promotes market-oriented and ideology-driven values, rather than public service or critical thinking.

Conclusion

  • The ongoing trend of centralisation, commercialisation, and communalisation is dismantling India’s democratic educational fabric.
  • For education to serve the public good, this single-minded agenda must end and be replaced with consultative, inclusive, and federal policy-making.