The Indian Union Education Minister has resigned following protests by Gen-Z, which culminated over leaked exam questions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the establishment of special courts to expedite the trial of those responsible for the illegal sharing of materials.
The government has engaged technology billionaire Nandan Nilekeni to modernise the assessment system. These measures come amid growing unrest among young people facing difficulties in securing quality employment despite rising education levels.
Economist Santosh Mehrotra, author of India Out of Work: Rethinking India's Growth Story, warns that the Indian labour market has become increasingly difficult. He highlights that demand for labour is not growing due to deep structural weaknesses in the economy.
Jobs outside agriculture are not seeing significant growth, while real wages are stagnating. Mehrotra notes that the Indian economy is suffering from structural deficits that prevent the creation of sufficient jobs for the growing population.
The education system is failing to supply a workforce competitive in the market. The growth in gross domestic product is primarily based on government spending on infrastructure, rather than sustainable job creation.
The government is using macroeconomic growth as a response to criticisms highlighting the unequal nature of economic development in the country, while young people are expressing growing impatience with a system that offers no real chance of a better life.
