Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman emphasizes the need to transform India’s education system and labour market, advocating practical skills, infrastructure, and policy reforms to better prepare youth for the demands of a changing economy.
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has argued that India’s education system must do far more than hand out degrees if it wants to prepare young people for work, entrepreneurship and the fast-changing demands of the economy. Speaking to The Indian Express after the Jantar Mantar protest, she said the country’s colleges often leave students certified but not job-ready, a gap she believes is at the heart of the frustration visible among many young Indians.
Sitharaman said the protest reflected more than anger over the NEET paper leak. In her view, the demonstrators brought together a range of grievances, from jobs to exam integrity, and were typical of a generation that sees many failures at once and responds with broad outrage. She also said the protest did not have a single unified leadership, with different groups pressing different concerns.
On the education-to-employment gap, she said higher education should equip students either to move straight into work or to build something of their own. By contrast, she said, many university courses in India provide only a certificate and little practical preparation. Her comments echoed her broader recent emphasis on employability, including the Union Budget’s focus on job creation and programmes aimed at improving youth skills and internships, according to reports in Livemint and ET Now.
She also said the answer to weak government schools is not only more spending but a change in mindset, teaching quality and infrastructure. Sitharaman said classrooms, toilets and buildings are not enough on their own, and argued that schools must be built around today’s needs, including reliable teachers, local language support and safe housing in villages for staff who are posted there. She added that these practical problems must be solved before parents will see government schools as a first choice rather than a fallback.
Turning to the labour market, Sitharaman said the state can only do so much beyond encouraging private investment. According to her, firms will hire only when they see demand and a chance of return, which is why policy must focus on matching people with opportunity. That message aligns with her recent remarks in other interviews, where she has stressed manufacturing-led growth, customs reforms, small business support and the need for external capital to sustain expansion, as reported by Mint, the Financial Express and the Times of India.
She also linked India’s response to earlier crises with the lessons it has carried forward. Referring to the West Asia disruption and the Covid period, Sitharaman said officials now have more clearly defined institutional arrangements to draw on if another shock hits. On technology, she urged Gen Z to learn artificial intelligence, saying it will be useful across fields. But she also warned that younger people need discretion as much as confidence, because constant access to information on mobile phones is powerful only if used wisely.
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