News about higher education at Indian institutions not featuring in top international rankings or Indian school students found wanting in international examinations have been frequent in the recent past. While these cannot be construed as a verdict on the Indian education system, it does reflect some of its lacunae. One of the most challenging issues facing Indian education is that of infrastructure. Estimates show that within a decade India will have a far younger population than other large economies. According to the National Commission on Population, the median age in India will be 29 as compared with 37 in China and the US, 45 for West Europe and 48 in Japan. So given the country's demography, India will have 40-45 million college-ready students by 2020. To accommodate these students, India will need another 1,000 universities and 50,000 more colleges, according to government estimates.
