The case for returning education to states

Policy discontents have a way of simmering until they come to a boil. Indian education has reached that moment. The Constitution placed education under Entry 11 of the State List, embedding it in local context. School and university education required community engagement, regional language integration and contextualised pedagogy. The Centre had control over institutions of national importance, scientific institutions and the envisioning of standards in higher education. In 1976, the Indira Gandhi government used the 42nd Amendment to move education out of the State List into the Concurrent List. While there are no arguments for this move, it can be justified by an overarching Emergency-era logic of national coordination, signified by common standards and an all-India policy. Fifty years later, a huge mass of students is out on the streets, asking whether that bargain is still viable.