It’s Time to Make Skill-based Learning the Main Character of the Indian Education System

Alright, in order to win this rat race, the magic word is experience. Not communication, not even good old textbook knowledge. Experience. And honestly, the world has evolved so quickly that sometimes it feels like we should personally blame Darwin or whichever genius kickstarted humanity’s obsession with constant development and shiny new tech, because lord have mercy, the pressure is unreal and we are all collectively tired of pretending otherwise.

“To get a job, you need experience” and “To get experience, you need a job.” At this point, it feels like the universe is laughing at us in 4K. Students have spent years collecting perfect grades like Pokémon cards, only to be told they are “not industry-ready” the moment they step outside the campus gate. And that is when we start to question the education system, because how are we supposed to magically develop real world skills when the system keeps us buried under chapters, notes, and exam pressure instead of actually teaching us anything useful? It is like being told to swim after years of only watching people float on YouTube. Sounds comical, right? Yes, that is the sound of our economy crashing down.

Now the question that arises is whether any steps were actually taken to fix this situation. The answer is yes. Significant steps were taken, and a policy was released in 2020: the National Education Policy, or NEP. It promised a shiny new chapter for Indian education with words like holistic learning and skill development sprinkled everywhere like confetti. Sounds great, and emphasis on the word sounds here, because this has only remained a theory. Only around forty seven percent of colleges offer skill-based courses, and an even smaller number of students choose them. So the policy exists, the paperwork looks impressive, the intentions are noble, but the ground reality still feels like the sequel nobody asked for. The system continues treating skill-based subjects like extras on a set instead of the main character, and the twist is that parents are still not fully convinced that anything outside traditional degrees is worth trusting. Grand Reform? Yes. Grand Impact? Still waiting for its official release. 

But this is where the plot thickens. Even with all the shiny reforms, we’re still running an education system that treats practical skills like some extravagant feature you unlock only after paying a ridiculous upgrade fee. Universities keep adding “skill-based courses” the way brands add unnecessary app features. It looks great on the brochure, but it barely helps anyone in real life. Students want real experience, industries are literally begging for people who can do things beyond scoring ninety-five, and yet skill development is still acting like a side character making cameo appearances instead of owning the screen.

And it’s high time now because universities should stop being shy and make skill based learning a non-negotiable part of the curriculum. Not optional, not elective, not available upon request, but compulsory, like that seventy five percent attendance rule everyone pretends to hate but still panics about. The logic is simple, it is not rocket science. Employers do not want human photocopies of textbooks anymore. Those days are long gone. They want problem solvers, creators, analysts, people who can actually function outside exam halls without losing the plot. And until the system stops romanticising theory and starts giving hands on skills the main character energy they deserve, we will keep producing graduates who know everything in the book but freeze the moment you ask them to do it. At that point, we are not just failing our students, we are failing our economy, and inevitably the flop era belongs entirely to the system, not the students.