What School Protests Are Telling Us About the Future of Education
14.71 lakh schools, 1.01 crore teachers, 24.69 crore students. These are not just numbers. They represent one of the largest education systems in the world. According to UDISE+ 2024–25, India has 24.69 crore school students across 14.71 lakh schools, supported by about 1.01 crore teachers. This scale highlights both the opportunities and the challenges in the Indian education system.
At the same time, India is having a very different conversation about education. We are talking about Artificial Intelligence, robotics, digital classrooms, employability, industry-ready skills and the future of education in India. Universities are discussing how to make students more employable. Companies are looking for new skills. Policymakers are thinking about how education needs to change in an AI-driven economy.
But while we are discussing the education of tomorrow, students in different parts of the country are still asking for something much more basic: teachers, safe classrooms, toilets, drinking water, electricity and functioning school facilities.
These recent student movements and initiatives have highlighted these issues in the media. And maybe it raises some uneasy but relevant questions – can we prepare the students for the future when they are not able to understand the fundamentals of the present?
Thus, India finds itself dealing with two realities in its education system simultaneously. We have to solve the problems of the present while creating the school of the future. This makes education reform in India important not only for today’s students but also for the future of Indian education.
The Two Realities of Indian Education
Visualize two classes. In one, students are exploring the world of artificial intelligence and robotics, participating in various innovation contests, doing project work, and communicating with experts from the industries. In another, students might still be waiting for proper teachers, proper facilities, or any kind of learning infrastructure. Both classrooms can exist in the same country. That is the complexity of the Indian education system.
India has ambitious students, dedicated teachers, excellent institutions and a rapidly growing technology ecosystem. But scale also creates enormous challenges. A school may have a building but no modern laboratory. A classroom may have computers but unreliable connectivity. A teacher may be highly committed but have limited opportunities for teacher professional development. A student may complete a degree but still struggle to connect what was learned in the classroom with what is expected in the workplace. At the same time, the world outside the classroom is changing rapidly. Artificial Intelligence, automation, big data, cybersecurity and digital technologies are changing the skills that employers need.
So the challenge is no longer simply about getting children into classrooms. It is about ensuring that the classroom prepares them for the world waiting outside it.
What If the Two Worlds Worked Together?
This is where public-private partnership in education becomes interesting. Government brings scale, access, infrastructure and, most importantly, public responsibility. The private sector can bring technology, investment, innovation and management expertise. Universities can bring research, knowledge, teacher development and academic capability. Industry can bring mentorship, practical skills and exposure to employment.
And teachers bring something that no technology can replace: the ability to understand, guide and inspire students. None of these stakeholders can solve India’s education challenge alone. But together, they can potentially create something much stronger. This kind of government and private sector collaboration can help address gaps while keeping public responsibility at the centre.
Consider an example of a government school in a small village. The government makes sure that the school has appropriate infrastructure, qualified teachers and every child can study there. A private technology partner provides the school with the digital learning atmosphere. University facilitates teacher training and curriculum designing. Industry partners offer mentoring and career orientation.
Students get opportunities to work on projects, use laboratories and understand how what they learn connects with the real world. The school is no longer only a place where students prepare for examinations. It becomes a place where they prepare for life.
Imagine a Twelve-Year-Old Building a Robot
Now imagine a twelve-year-old student entering a laboratory for the first time. Her parents have never worked in technology. She does not own an expensive laptop. She has never seriously imagined herself becoming an engineer.
On the table are sensors, robotics kits, electronic components and perhaps a 3D printer. Her teacher says, “Don’t just learn. Build something.”
She tries. It fails. She tries again. And eventually, the robot moves.
That moment is bigger than the robot. The student has discovered something that no examination can easily measure: “I can create.”
This is the kind of thinking encouraged by initiatives such as Atal Tinkering Labs, where students are given opportunities to experiment, innovate and solve problems. The government can provide the platform. Partners can provide technology and mentorship. Teachers can guide. Students can create.
That is when education begins to move from simply memorising answers to learning how to solve problems. It is also where STEM education in India and innovation in school education can become meaningful experiences rather than just ideas discussed in policy documents.
But Partnership Is Not a Magic Wand
There is another side to this discussion. A company can install 50 computers in a school, but without trained teachers and meaningful use, those computers can quickly become expensive cupboards. A smartboard can be installed in a day, but changing teaching practices can take years. A laboratory can be built, but curiosity cannot simply be installed.
This is why PPP should not be judged only by how much money is invested, how many classrooms are renovated or how many devices are distributed. The real questions are different: Are students learning better? Are teachers becoming more capable? Are parents becoming more involved? Are students developing practical and employable skills? Are children from disadvantaged communities actually benefiting?
Because technology can enter a classroom in one day, but transformation cannot.
This is also why PPP requires strong governance, clear responsibilities and measurable outcomes. The private sector should not replace the responsibility of government, and government should not expect private investment alone to solve every structural problem. The partnership must always come back to one question: What is better for the student?
These are important considerations when looking at both the benefits of PPP in education and the possible challenges of PPP in education.
From Classroom to Career
One of the best opportunities could be that of combining education with employment.
Take, for example, the case of a finance student. Rather than reading all the theories on mergers and acquisitions from textbooks, how great would it be if the student analyses the deal and builds his/her model around it? The university helps in academics; an industry professional offers mentorship; a technology firm gives access to financial-data platforms.
The student does analysis, discusses the deal and makes a presentation. Instantly, the focus of the student shifts from “Does it come in the exam?” to “Do I invest in this company?”
That’s the difference between learning about the world and learning from the world.
The same can be done in case of engineering, agriculture, medicine, artificial intelligence, manufacturing, renewable energy, cybersecurity and Fintech. And this is because education cannot be disassociated from work in the coming years.
This kind of industry-academia collaboration can give students valuable industry exposure and make the connection between classroom learning and real-world opportunities much stronger.
Education is not about getting ready for the first job but rather for lifelong learning.
The Student Must Remain at the Centre
There is one question every education partnership must answer: Who owns the student’s future?
The answer cannot simply be the government. It cannot be private companies. It cannot be universities. The student must remain at the centre.
The government must protect access and inclusion. Private partners can bring innovation and efficiency. Universities must protect academic quality and integrity. Teachers must remain central to learning. Industry can help connect education with employment.
Different responsibilities, one purpose: a better future for the student.
That is why the success of an education PPP should not ultimately be measured only in crores invested, classrooms renovated or computers distributed. It should be measured by something far more important: How many lives were meaningfully changed?
Imagine India in 2035
Imagine a girl entering a government school in a small Indian village. The classroom is safe. There is clean drinking water and electricity. There is a trained teacher, reliable technology and a laboratory where students can experiment.
An AI-enabled learning system helps personalise her learning. A university provides academic support. An industry mentor explains what different careers actually look like. A company provides opportunities for internships and practical exposure.
She finishes school with more than a certificate. She has skills, experience and confidence. And when she enters the world of work, she is not simply looking for a job. She is ready for an opportunity.
That is the India a well-designed public-private partnership can help build.
The Classroom That Two Hands Built
Let us return to that classroom.
It is 8:15 in the morning. The bell rings. The teacher enters. The students sit down. But this time, something is different. There is technology, experiential learning, mentors, industry exposure and opportunities to experiment and create.
The government is still there. The teacher is still there. But another hand is helping not replacing the first hand, but strengthening it.
Perhaps that is the real promise of Public-Private Partnership in Indian education.
It is not about the government handing education over to business. It is not about business taking over government schools. And it is certainly not about technology replacing teachers. It is about bringing different strengths together around one purpose: giving every child a better chance at the future. Because India’s greatest infrastructure is not its highways, airports or buildings. It is the minds sitting inside its classrooms.
So perhaps India should stop asking, “Who should build education?” And start asking, “What can we build together?”
Because the students asking for better schools today are not asking for someone else’s future. They are asking for their own. And perhaps the first step towards how to improve education in India is simply to listen.
