Representational Photo

South Asia Needs Cross-Border Internships, Not Only Degrees Abroad

South Asia often discusses youth mobility after a student has already decided to leave the region. A stronger regional system would give students another option before that point: international experience that is close enough to be practical, but different enough to change what they learn.

School Absenteeism and Growing Coaching Culture: Are we Compromising the Future of an Entire Generation?

If dummy admissions, prolonged school absenteeism, and an unregulated coaching culture continue unchecked, we may end up producing students who have spent enormous amounts of time and money on education without actually receiving the education they need.

Education as a Game Changer for South Asia: India can Become an Educational Leader

If South Asian governments urgently review and reform their education systems, the region can all benefit within 15 years from our demographic dividend and unleash the region's immense knowledge and growth potential within a generation.New education systems must be interactive and inter-operative to allow free movement of professionals, capital and labour around the region

The Reconstituted Nalanda: Can it Leverage its Civilizational Memory to Become an Alternative Academic Hub for the Global South?

Nalanda serves as a counterweight to the historic monopoly of Western universities over social, political, and ecological theory. It invites Asian and African scholars to address regional dilemmas such as resource sovereignty, post-colonial statehood, and sustainable modernization using indigenous analytical categories.

More on Education and Gen Z Voices

RIP Nedumudi Venu: An indelible legend of Malayalam cinema

In a career spanning more than four decades covering 500 films, Venu portrayed a wide range of characters that showed his histrionic prowess

India needs to be more proactive on diplomatic and security fronts in protecting its Afghanistan interests

India stands at the crossroads, with neighboring countries like Pakistan, China and traditional partner Russia clearly on track to recognize the Taliban regime – a development that goes against Indian interests, writes Shubham for South Asia Monitor

India should recognise the Tibetan government in exile

By recognizing Tibet as an independent country, India will create a strong resistance in the onward march of China’s territorial ambitions and strategies

Farmers’ protest: India’s farm sector needs bolder reforms, not the three contentious laws that leave room for distrust

As the country gets closer to state assembly elections next year, the farm agitation will be an important and emotive electoral issue

Questions over India’s PM CARES Fund signals failure of government-citizen collaboration

Looking forward, the aim must be to restore the citizens’ trust so that when future national problems arise the people get associated with the campaign out of their will and not compulsion

Achieving a Gandhian dream: Metamorphosing India’s backward villages into modern self-sufficient suburbia

The idea is to turn backward villages affected by floods annually - whether in Bihar, Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand or Odisha - into suburbia-like agglomerations with proper housing and urban-standard infrastructure

Competence over seniority: Indian government reforms bidding to give a new face to bureaucracy

Realizing the bureaucracy was a major hindrance to the implementation of reforms and there was no substantive progress in the performance of bureaucracy even after departmental training, the Indian government launched the National Program for Civil Service Capacity Building (NPCSCB), known as Mission Karmayogi, in November 2020

Kamla Bhasin (1946-2021): A freedom-loving feminist par excellence

South Asia was Kamla’s oyster and she travelled across the borders inspiring women in Bangladesh (where she was Kamla di) Nepal (where she was Kamla diju), Pakistan (where she was Kamla apa) , Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and other places

India’s new trade policy: An action plan for promoting exports from the states

Indian enterprises, financial institutions and government agencies must invest in the acquisition and analysis of knowledge and information on target markets 

Pan masala ad and the social responsibility of Indian film icon Amitabh Bachchan

The on-screen star can become a real-life hero if he withdraws from the tobacco ad, calls out paan masala as harmful to human health and triggers a movement within Bollywood to protect the health and rights of consumers

Japan's silence on Rohingya Issue is puzzling

It is Japan’s vital responsibility to join and influence other key players in the region to play a visible and effective role to address major regional issues like the Rohingya crisis for peace and stability

A tale of two Modis and political doublespeak

PM Modi is trying to ace a fine balance between his domestic credentials and his global image

Draupadi, Dalit writers and Delhi University: Inconvenient truths as politics rules

This is not the first time that political considerations will determine what universities in India should teach, or which books may be banned

Pakistan needs a vibrant people’s movement that can marginalise Islamic extremism

A forward-looking government can certainly achieve this task of Pakistan remaining an Islamic country while simultaneously emerging as a progressive and peaceful nation

India needs a People’s Charter - a referendum of the type of India people want

An apolitical mass movement is imperative, given that India’s secular democracy and constitutional freedoms are facing an existential threat