Protesters Celebrate the Victory after the resignation news of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan at Jantar Mantar, in New Delhi on Saturday. | Photo : Sushil Kumar Verma / The Hindu
On July 25, 2026, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stepped down, fulfilling the central demand of a movement that began with a satirical Instagram page. The resignation addresses the immediate triggers, the 2026 NEET-UG paper leak and irregularities in CBSE’s on-screen marking. But is this enough?According to the Ministry of Education’s AISHE survey, higher education enrolment has climbed steadily, crossing 4.5 crore students in 2023-24, a rise of roughly 31.5% since 2014-15. The aspiration, however, was never “a degree.” It was an IIT, an IIM, a central university, or a stable government job through UPSC, SSC or a state PSC — and that supply has barely moved while the queue behind it has multiplied.Government jobs make up about 1.4% of India’s working-age population. Nearly 50 lakh students applied for for 60,000 UP police constable posts in 2024. Meanwhile close to 10 lakh sanctioned central government posts sit vacantIn light of the protest, the government has assured to fix paper leaks, but what needs to change in education for sustainable careers for the youth? The Hindu will host a webinar, ‘After Jantar Mantar, what needs to change in education?’, on August 1, 2026.Register now for free to ask questions and interact with the panellists. The three best questions will receive a free online subscription to The Hindu.PanellistsShravan B. Raj, National Secretary, ABVPShravan B Raj is the National Secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). He is a researcher in education from University of Hyderabad. He works in the domain of curriculum politics. Mr. Raj is a main campaigner of the ABVP on the implementation of NEP 2020.Adarsh M. Saji, National President, SFIAdarsh M. Saji is the national president of the Left-leaning Students Federation of India. Mr. Saji is a law student based in Delhi and has been campaigning against the LCOF in various Central and State universities.Abhishek Malhotra, Assistant Professor, Sri Venkateswara College(DU)Abhishek Malhotra is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi and is a Visiting Fellow at India Foundation. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and specialises in the field of Urban Economics and Economic Policy. He served as Secretary (Partnerships and Finance) at the Y20 India Secretariat during India’s G20 Presidency. He has also worked with the office of Chief Economic Adviser at the Ministry of Finance, Gol. and as a research associate with IIM Ahmedabad.(For any feedback or suggestions, reach out to us at education@thehindu.co.in) Published - July 29, 2026 04:10 pm IST
