ASSOCHAM Gujarat Education Conclave 2025 : Innovating Higher Education for Global Excellence

India\'s education system is on the cusp of becoming a global knowledge hub. With the world’s largest youth population (580 million in the 5–24 age group) and more than 50,000 higher education institutions, India has the scale and potential to lead in global innovation, research, and skill development. Over the past decade, India has enacted transformative reforms, such as joining the Washington Accord (2014) to align engineering education with global standards, launching Make in India (2014) to boost innovation and manufacturing, and introducing Startup India (2016) to encourage entrepreneurship. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and New Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Policy (2021) further strengthened the education ecosystem by promoting industry-aligned education and fostering research and innovation.

As technology is playing a disruptive role in addressing these challenges. India’s EdTech market is reshaping the landscape of education and projected to grow from $700–800 million in 2021 to $30 billion by 2031. Digital learning platforms, AI-driven education models, and skill-based training are improving accessibility, employability, and learning outcomes. With bold reforms, global collaborations, and technology-driven education, India is on a transformative path to reclaim its status as a Vishwa Guru (Global Knowledge Leader).

However, challenges remain, including low graduate employability, limited research output, and the ongoing quality vs. quantity dilemma. The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024 highlights gaps in Gujarat’s higher education sector, with institutions like IIT Gandhinagar and Gujarat University among the top 100, but no private universities from the state securing a spot in the top rankings. This underscores the need for continued investment in quality education, research, and industry-academia collaboration.

To address these challenges and to unlock the opportunities of Higher Education for Global Excellence. ASSOCHAM Gujarat council is excited to announce Gujarat Education Conclave 2025 : Innovating Higher Education for Global Excellence scheduled on 13-May-2025 at Hotel Narayani Height, Gandhinagar. This conclave aims to unite policymakers, education leaders, industry experts, and stakeholders to discuss the pressing challenges and explore way forward to elevate higher education sector. This event will be a catalyst for shaping the future of higher education in the state and across India.