Education Policy and Employment in India: Historical Perspectives from Education Commissions

Abstract

This paper examines the significance attributed to employment in education planning and policy in India. It explores the relationship between educational planning and its alignment with employment outcomes. The study undertakes a historical policy analysis of major commission reports starting with The Despatch of 1854, on “General Education in India” up to the “National Education Policy (NEP)2020” to assess their implications on employability. This study integrated multiple official data sources on enrolment, institutional density, pass-out rates across secondary, higher secondary, and higher education and analysed transition to employment in relation to macroeconomic indicators of Worker Participation Rate, Labour Force Participation Rate and Unemployment Rate. The findings reveal that during the indirect rule by East India Company, the aim of education was not directed towards employment in general. Under the direct rule of the British, primarily the aim was confined to selection of manpower to the service of the British. Gradually, preparatory domains of employment such as vocational and technical education were advocated as reflected in the reports. Furthermore, in the post-Independence period, a gradual evolution of linkage between the two can be observed through the reports and recommendations of many commissions. Economic progress and employment have recently received explicit attention in National Education Policy, (NEP)2020. The study highlights the persistent gap between educational outputs and labour market needs.