Building Blocks for Education

EDGE – Ernst & Young Report 2010

India, a leading center for knowledge and learning has made some valuable
contributions, some of which include the concepts of zero, decimal and Pythagoras
theorem. Despite such a lineage, only a handful of higher education institutes in India
have been able to make a global mark. Dichotomy prevalent everywhere in the country is
reflected in the education system as well. On one hand, the literacy rates are a cause of
great worry and on the other the outstanding performance rendered by Indian across the
globe has some countries in awe of the quality of human resources that the Indian
education system has produced.

Plagued with the challenge of brain-drain and limited access to education for its
population, India, however, strives to be a knowledge economy. Education is a powerful
instrument of social, economic and cultural transformation for the realization of natural
goals (Radakrishnan Commission report on university education). Recognizing this need
for higher-level of skills and competencies required to supprto national development,
especially in this era of globalization and shift towards a knowledge economy, the
government has granted renewed emphasis on the education sector. The Eleventh Five
Year Plan has allocated an increased expenditure in both primary and higher education.

The report examines the huge opportunity and the challenges faced by the education
sector in India in providing a conducive learning environment. The sector is witnessing
rapid growth with an implied need for physical infrastructure to support the growth and
increase outreach. Dwelling on it, the report illustrates the business models and ways to
get involved in this not-for-profit sector. It looks at infrastructure holistically touching upon
cost and recommended space standards to build international quality institutes. It
highlights several estate formats that facilitate optimal utilization in a country that needs
to make rapid progress within a limited timeframe. In recent times, promotion of
education has gained huge prominence with not only the government but also the private
sector giving rise to emerging real estate formats that are developed with education as
the back-bone; education cities being one such example. The involvement of corporates,
in promoting the need for the right skill-set has resulted in synergies between industry
and academia, resulting in the physical manifestation of formats such as knowledge
clusters and parks.

This report is as step towards unraveling the enthusiasm in the industry and exploring the
immense possibilities that have effectively contributed to building the blocks for education
in India and across the world.