India stands at a decisive moment in its educational journey. The world is rapidly transforming through technology, artificial intelligence, and changing labour markets. The country’s demographic dividend will only pay off if backed by strategic and sustained investment in education. While access to schooling has expanded over the decades, the next phase of reform must focus on quality, relevance, and systemic capacity. There are five critical areas where India needs to spend more—and spend smarter—on education.
1. Investing in Teachers: The Foundation of Educational Quality
India has nearly 98 lakh teachers, making it one of the largest teaching workforces in the world. Yet, a recent survey reveals a troubling reality: less than 2% of teachers implement basic pedagogy in alignment with policy documents or the National Curriculum Framework (NCF). This gap between policy intent and classroom practice is perhaps the single biggest challenge facing Indian education today.
Addressing this requires a massive investment in teacher professional development. India urgently needs to create a national ecosystem for continuous learning by developing around one lakh world-class resource persons over the next two to three years. These experts would mentor teachers, model best practices, and support systemic reform at scale. With the demographic dividend window narrowing, improving teaching-learning processes is not optional—it is critical.
2. Strengthening Secondary Education Amid Rising Dropouts
While primary enrolment has stabilised, secondary education faces a silent crisis, particularly among boys. Dropout rates are rising, and in many regions secondary schooling is not expanding despite clear demand. The reason is straightforward: schools have not been created where they are needed.
Compounding this issue are large teacher vacancies at the secondary level, especially in Science, Mathematics, and English. As technology and AI reshape the global economy, millions of Indian students remain deprived of high-quality secondary education that could prepare them for future careers. Increased investment is needed to build secondary schools, recruit subject-specialist teachers, and modernise curricula so students are not left behind in a rapidly changing world.
3. Reviving Vocational Education and Skill Development
Vocational education in India is facing a grave institutional crisis. Despite policy emphasis on skills and employability, vocational programmes often lack qualified instructors, infrastructure, and industry alignment. Without a strong institutional foundation, vocational education cannot fulfil its promise of providing meaningful pathways to employment.
Major public investment is required to develop training institutions, attract skilled instructors, and integrate vocational education with local economic ecosystems. Strengthening vocational education will not only reduce unemployment but also offer dignified alternatives to purely academic routes, making education more inclusive and relevant.
4. Building Robust Supportive Supervision Systems
Teacher development cannot succeed in isolation. Equally important is the system of supportive supervision—the academic mentoring, feedback, and on-ground guidance that helps teachers improve over time. Currently, supportive supervision is weak or inconsistently developed across most states.
As a result, even well-designed programmes fail to deliver impact at the classroom level. India must invest in training academic supervisors, school leaders, and mentors who focus on problem-solving rather than compliance. Effective supervision ensures that reforms actually “cut” at the cutting edge—where teaching and learning happen daily.
5. Investing in Education Research for a Changing World
Perhaps the most neglected area of education spending in India is research. In a rapidly urbanising and diversifying society, many critical questions remain unanswered. How should language learning evolve in multilingual urban classrooms? How can schools better address students’ mental and social health? How should curricula respond to what students already bring into the classroom through digital exposure?
Currently, institutions like NCERT are overburdened, limiting their ability to lead deep, long-term research. India may need a new national apex institute for education research, dedicated to studying contemporary challenges and informing policy with evidence. Investment in well-planned educational research yields high returns by ensuring reforms are effective, inclusive, and future-ready.
Conclusion: Spending Smart for Long-Term Impact
India does not merely need to spend more on education—it needs to spend strategically. Prioritising teacher quality, expanding secondary education, revitalising vocational training, strengthening supervision, and building a strong research base will determine whether the country can truly harness its demographic dividend. Education is not just a social sector expense; it is the most critical investment India can make in its future growth, equity, and global competitiveness.
Subir Shukla is a former Educational Quality Improvement Advisor to the Government of India and Principal Coordinator at Group Ignus, based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
Clear Cut Education Desk
New Delhi, UPDATED: Jan 31, 2026 12:45 IST
Written By: Subir Shukla
