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The most consequential migration from Kerala today is no longer just of workers; it is increasingly of students. The Kerala Migration Survey 2023 estimated nearly 2.5 lakh student emigrants from the state, underscoring a profound shift in educational aspirations.
While their departure reflects growing ambition and global mobility, it also raises an uncomfortable question: why are so many of Kerala's brightest young people choosing to pursue their futures elsewhere? The answer lies partly in a higher education ecosystem that has struggled to keep pace with the expectations of a generation raised in one of India's most educated societies.
Kerala's higher education system already rests on a strong foundation: the state records a Gross Enrolment Ratio of 41.3 per cent—far above the national average of 28.4 per cent—along with over 10.99 lakh students in higher education, women constituting nearly 60 per cent of enrolment, and a Gender Parity Index of 1.44, among the highest in the country. Yet an increasing number of students are choosing to pursue their careers elsewhere. The challenge, therefore, is not merely to curb academic migration but to build institutions that attract talent rather than export it, transforming higher education into a driver of economic growth.
The policy announcements in the Governor's address last month, including the proposal to establish an Academic Syndicate as an apex coordinating body for higher education governance, the introduction of a "Semester in Kerala" programme, a statewide apprenticeship exchange, and measures to ensure uniform recognition of UGC-approved degrees, indicate that policymakers recognise the urgency of reform. However, administrative restructuring alone cannot address decades-old structural weaknesses; Kerala must undertake deeper institutional reforms if it is to emerge as a genuine global education destination.
Recent policy initiatives are a step forward, but a far more ambitious vision is needed.
From mass education to world class education
Kerala's educational achievements are substantial, with high literacy, strong enrolment and relatively equitable access to higher education. Yet access alone does not guarantee excellence. Recognising this, the 2022 Higher Education Reforms Commission called for a fundamental transformation of the sector through greater academic autonomy, flexibility, innovation, research and stronger links with the knowledge economy. It argued that Kerala must move beyond an affiliated-college, examination-driven model and develop universities as centres of knowledge creation, entrepreneurship and skills, supported by autonomy and accountability.
This diagnosis remains relevant as Kerala's higher education system continues to grapple with excessive bureaucratic control, outdated curricula, fragmented governance and weak industry linkages. These challenges are reflected in declining enrolment across several government and aided institutions, driven by changing student preferences, outmigration and demand for programmes with stronger employment prospects. While Kerala's universities have produced generations of accomplished professionals, few have emerged as globally recognised research institutions or attracted significant international faculty, partnerships and innovation, leaving the state's presence limited in the upper tiers of major global university rankings.
The experience of Singapore, Finland, South Korea and Ireland shows that knowledge economies are built not merely by expanding access to higher education but by creating globally competitive universities that integrate research, industry, entrepreneurship and national development goals.
Singapore's transformation offers perhaps the most relevant example. The city-state deliberately aligned higher education policy with industrial policy, investing heavily in research universities, innovation districts and international collaborations. The result was the emergence of institutions such as the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University as globally respected centres of excellence. Kerala must similarly move from a model of mass certification to one of knowledge production.
Closing the distance between classrooms and careers
The most persistent criticism of Kerala's higher education system is its weak link to employment. Graduates often leave university with qualifications poorly aligned to evolving labour-market needs, while employers continue to report skill shortages, creating the paradox of educated unemployment alongside unmet demand for specialised talent. The challenge is intensified by a generation that compares local institutions not only with those in Bengaluru or Delhi but also with universities across Australia, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom, seeking employability, global exposure and industry experience.
Their choices are shaped by a highly competitive global education marketplace, reflected in the fact that more than 13.35 lakh Indian students were pursuing higher education abroad across 108 countries in 2024 alone.
The state has already initiated several useful interventions, including industry-on-campus programmes, incubators, apprenticeship initiatives and curriculum reforms. Yet these efforts remain fragmented. What Kerala requires is a comprehensive framework that makes employability an institutional responsibility rather than an individual burden.
Curriculum revision must become continuous rather than episodic. Kerala's universities still devote excessive attention to examinations and rote learning, despite the National Education Policy 2020 emphasising multidisciplinary education, flexibility, research orientation and skill development. Universities should establish standing industry councils involving employers from information technology, healthcare, tourism, logistics, creative industries, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing. Academic departments should undergo mandatory curriculum reviews every three years with industry participation.
Germany's dual education model offers an instructive example. Universities and vocational institutions maintain close relationships with employers, ensuring that learning remains connected to workplace realities. Similarly, the cooperative education system pioneered by the University of Waterloo in Canada integrates academic study with paid industry placements, creating one of the world's strongest graduate employment records.
Kerala can adapt these models to local realities. Every undergraduate programme should include credit-bearing internships, industry projects or community-based fieldwork. Apprenticeships should be mainstreamed across disciplines rather than restricted to technical education. The proposed state apprenticeship exchange can become a significant step in this direction if backed by industry participation and measurable outcomes.
Equally important is entrepreneurship. Universities must become places where students create enterprises rather than merely seek jobs. Research parks, innovation districts, startup incubators and technology-transfer centres should become integral to campuses, translating the vision of innovation-driven universities from policy into practice.
If Kerala hopes to curb academic migration, it must become a destination for students from elsewhere, making internationalisation a central pillar of higher education policy.
Encouragingly, the University of Kerala received over 2,600 applications from 81 countries for 2025–26, up from around 1,100 applications from 35 countries a few years ago, highlighting the state's appeal through its strong social indicators, affordability, cultural openness and quality of life. However, attracting international students requires more than admissions portals; it demands world-class campuses, advanced research facilities, dedicated support services and quality accommodation, including purpose-built hostels.
Countries that have successfully built global education hubs offer valuable lessons. Singapore's Global Schoolhouse initiative combined international partnerships, research funding, infrastructure development and global branding. Dubai Knowledge Park created a dedicated ecosystem for foreign universities, while Malaysia emerged as a leading education destination through transnational programmes, branch campuses and student-friendly policies. Kerala needs a similarly ambitious strategy, backed by sustained investment in research infrastructure, international collaborations and public-private partnerships that can mobilise resources while preserving academic autonomy.
The proposed "Semester in Kerala" programme could become a transformative initiative if properly designed. International students could spend a semester studying sustainability in Wayanad, climate resilience along Kerala's coastline, biodiversity in the Western Ghats, public health in one of India's most successful healthcare systems, or cultural studies rooted in Kerala's rich literary and artistic traditions.
The state's geography itself can become an academic asset. Munnar can host global conferences on mountain ecology and sustainable tourism; Wayanad can emerge as a centre for ecological and indigenous studies; Alappuzha can serve as a living laboratory for water management and climate adaptation; Kochi can anchor maritime, logistics and blue-economy research; and Thiruvananthapuram can leverage institutions such as ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, IISER and national laboratories to build advanced research clusters in space technology, artificial intelligence and digital governance.
Such specialised ecosystems will require substantial investment in laboratories, innovation districts, technology parks and research centres, making public-private partnership models essential. Kerala must also think beyond teaching and research and view universities as engines of economic value creation.
Specialised institutions such as the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies and Kerala Agricultural University should be encouraged to develop commercially viable products, technologies and intellectual property linked to agriculture, fisheries, biotechnology and food processing, connecting research to entrepreneurship, supply chains and global markets.
The global conference economy offers another untapped opportunity. Cities such as Edinburgh, Melbourne and Barcelona have successfully linked higher education, culture and tourism through international academic events. Kerala's universities, convention centres and tourism infrastructure can do the same, attracting scholars, researchers and students throughout the year while generating both intellectual capital and economic value.
A new social contract for Kerala's campuses
Ultimately, infrastructure and policy reforms alone will not transform higher education. Kerala must confront uncomfortable questions about campus culture itself.
Too many institutions continue to be perceived as arenas of partisan confrontation rather than centres of intellectual excellence. Student politics has historically contributed to democratic participation and social awareness, but when political competition overshadows academic purpose, institutions inevitably suffer.
Frequent disruptions, ideological polarisation, administrative paralysis, ragging, campus violence, institutional harassment, intolerance of dissent and a culture of intimidation have at times undermined the academic environment and damaged the reputation of campuses that should instead be competing for global recognition.
World-class universities are distinguished not by the absence of debate but by the primacy of scholarship. Academic freedom flourishes when universities are governed by intellectual standards, mutual respect and student welfare rather than factional interests.
The proposed Academic Syndicate can play a transformative role if it functions as a professional, autonomous and accountable body focused on quality assurance, governance reform and long-term strategic planning rather than administrative centralisation.
\Equally important is strengthening the Kerala State Higher Education Council as the nodal institution that aligns universities, government, industry and regulators around a shared vision for the sector. Institutions such as K-DISC should be leveraged more effectively to drive innovation, industry partnerships, research collaboration and future-skills programmes, helping create a coherent ecosystem that links higher education with Kerala's broader development goals.
Public investment will remain indispensable, but public-private partnerships must also play a larger role. Globally, leading universities leverage philanthropy, industry collaboration and research endowments while preserving academic autonomy. Kerala's accomplished diaspora remains an underutilised asset that can support endowed chairs, research centres, innovation funds and international partnerships.
Every student who leaves Kerala represents not merely a lost admission but a transfer of future consumption, research capacity, entrepreneurial activity and skilled labour. When thousands of families spend several lakh rupees annually on education outside the state or overseas, the economic leakage becomes substantial. The debate on higher education reform is therefore not merely an academic question; it is a question of economic strategy.
The objective must be not merely to retain Kerala's students but to attract talent from across India and the world. As the state's future prosperity will depend increasingly on its ability to generate, attract and retain knowledge, the next chapter of Kerala's development must be built not just on literacy, but on learning, innovation and research. The aim should be to create institutions so compelling that students choose to stay and others choose to come—transforming a state long known for exporting talent into a destination for it, with higher education at the heart of its next economic transformation.
Amal Chandra is an author, policy analyst and columnist currently serving as the Senior Advisor and Director, Centre for Public Policy and Governance, Insights, Delhi. Professor Sony Kunjappan is Head, Department of Studies in Social Management, SSS, Central University of Gujarat, Vadodara. His teaching and research areas are on Governance, Public Policy, Police Studies, Criminal Justice, Social Work, and Criminology. Views expressed here are the authors’ own.