# Bharat Edscape Weekly - Issue #22

> Week of August 11 – August 18, 2026 — A curated roundup of news, commentary, and developments in the Indian education and edtech ecosystem.

*Source: https://sandeepmallareddy.com/blog/bharat-edscape-weekly-issue-22-aug-11-aug-18-2026/ · 2026-08-18 · Sandeep Mallareddy*


> Jharkhand cancelled an entire recruitment exam this week, and within a day the candidates who had already passed it, at least 2,000 of them now in post, were the ones protesting outside the Secretariat. Meanwhile the NTA admitted three UGC-NET papers were too broken to salvage and ordered a retest, the Education Ministry removed more than 50 NTA staff, and the Prime Minister promised free competitive exam coaching and AI training for a crore of young Indians. The coaching is free now, but the exam waiting at the end of it is the part nobody has fixed yet.

> I'd love to hear what you think. Push back, agree, or share what I missed. Drop me a note at **[me@sandeepmallareddy.com](mailto:me@sandeepmallareddy.com)**. And if this is worth a spot in your inbox every week, go ahead and [subscribe](https://list.sandeepmallareddy.com/subscription/form)

# Spotlight
## Jharkhand scrapped the exam. Now the people who passed it are protesting.

After a four hour emergency Cabinet meeting on August 17, Chief Minister Hemant Soren [cancelled the JSSC-CGL examination](https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/hemant-sorent-announces-jssc-cgl-exam-cancellation-after-emergency-cabinet-meeting/article71357634.ece) along with every recruitment test conducted since 2014 by TSR Data Processing Private Limited, the blacklisted agency at the centre of the allegations, 24 days after job aspirants began their protest over recruitment irregularities. A committee under senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal will now recommend exam reforms, while the CID has searched the JSSC office, reportedly questioned its secretary and arrested the personal secretary to a former JPSC member, with former JPSC chairman L. Khiangte already in judicial custody. At Ranchi's Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, where hundreds have camped for weeks, protesters wept and celebrated, then said the agitation continues, because the government still refuses to order a CBI probe. Within a day a [second protest formed outside the state Secretariat](https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/jharkhand/jharkhand-jssc-cgl-exam-cancellation-to-end-one-protest-triggers-another-as-2000-fear-job-loss/article71360260.ece), this time from successful candidates, at least 2,000 of whom cleared JSSC-CGL, joined their posts and now stand to lose jobs they say they won fairly, some having quit central government positions to take them. They point out that the High Court examined the recruitment in December and held the existing SIT probe adequate. The state's answer so far is that they can go to court. Earlier in the week, before any of this, [more than 100 ABVP workers were detained](https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/jharkhand/jharkhand-protest-live-updates-august-11-2026/article71330994.ece) marching on the Assembly over the police lathicharge, and the House was adjourned a day ahead of schedule amid the uproar.

## Funding & Acquisitions

- Wippi raised [$1.2 million in seed funding led by 12 Flags](https://entrepreneur.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/funding/wippi-raises-1-2-mn-seed-funding-led-by-12-flags-to-build-screen-free-ai-products-for-children/133170389) for screen free AI devices aimed at children aged four to 10, its first institutional round after bootstrapping. The device holds spoken conversations with characters like Ram, Krishna and Cinderella, monitored through a parent facing app, with kits starting at ₹6,499, and the company is working on direct voice to voice AI so children's unclear speech does not get mangled in translation. Co-founder Rishabh Singhi started building it after watching his own son's screen time climb, and is targeting 15,000 to 20,000 units over the next year.

- Bengaluru based Lane raised [₹8.5 crore led by Kae Capital](https://indianstartupnews.com/funding/lane-raises-rs-85-crore-to-expand-driving-education-and-mobility-platform-12253662), with DeVC, Antler India and Panthera Peak joining, to expand driving instruction beyond the licence test. It is building a sensor based system that profiles how people actually drive, data it thinks could eventually feed insurance risk pricing. Nearly 60% of its learners say they intend to buy their first car.

## Partnerships & Strategic Initiatives

- The UGC has issued [16 letters of intent to foreign universities from Australia, Italy, the UK and the US](https://www.freepressjournal.in/education/16-foreign-universities-get-lois-to-set-up-in-india-iit-madras-iit-delhi-and-iim-ahmedabad-expand-abroad-govt-tells-rajya-sabha), the Education Ministry told the Rajya Sabha, with Karnataka and Maharashtra taking six each and Delhi NCR three. Four have cleared the next step and can start teaching in Mumbai: York, Bristol, Aberdeen and the Illinois Institute of Technology. Southampton and the University of New South Wales are already running campuses in Gurugram and Bengaluru.

- Indian institutions are moving the other way, with modest numbers so far. IIT Madras's Zanzibar campus has [graduated 35 MTech students and has over 100 more in BS programmes](https://www.freepressjournal.in/education/16-foreign-universities-get-lois-to-set-up-in-india-iit-madras-iit-delhi-and-iim-ahmedabad-expand-abroad-govt-tells-rajya-sabha), IIT Delhi's Abu Dhabi campus had 171 students across nine programmes in 2025-26, and IIM Ahmedabad's Dubai MBA, launched in September 2025, has 35.

## Policy & Government

### National

- The NTA [admitted the UGC-NET papers in English, Commerce and Sociology were riddled with errors and ordered fresh exams](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/nta-admits-errors-orders-fresh-net-for-3-subjects/articleshow/133277880.cms) on September 9 and 10, at no extra fee. Candidates had flagged mangled scholar names, with Ritzer printed as Putzer and Ghurye as Ghunye, and said 67 of the English paper's 150 questions were repeated unchanged from 2024. The agency said the defects were too extensive to fix by dropping questions during the answer key challenge, and results for the other 84 subjects will not be held up.

- The Education Ministry has [removed more than 50 NTA staff and advertised ten new senior positions](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/education/news/ugc-net-retest-fallout-education-ministry-orders-major-overhaul-of-nta-examination-system/articleshow/133312912.cms) covering cybersecurity, psychometrics, test security and research, and is bringing in private sector specialists for question paper preparation. Minister Pralhad Joshi has ordered a full audit of the question paper chain from setting through moderation and translation, tighter control of secluded rooms and wider use of air gapped computers.

- More than half of NCERT's sanctioned posts are vacant, [1,596 of 2,844](https://thewire.in/education/more-than-half-of-sanctioned-posts-at-ncert-remain-vacant-44-positions-of-cbse-not-filled-parliamentary-panel), and CBSE is carrying 933 vacancies against 2,117 posts, a Lok Sabha estimates committee reported on August 12. The panel warned that CBSE's reliance on temporary and contractual staff could put the safety, quality and smooth conduct of national board exams at risk. The same report found only 58.6% of government schools have an internet connection.

- Autonomous bodies under the Education Ministry [left ₹4,553.85 crore of their grants unspent](https://thewire.in/education/autonomous-bodies-under-education-ministry-didnt-utilise-grants) in 2022-23, the CAG told Parliament, the worst record of any ministry and a third of the ₹12,464 crore unspent across the government. The ministry has 198 such bodies and took nearly half of all grants released to central autonomous bodies that year. The CAG also flagged that as of March 2022, 76.22% of eligible colleges were not accredited by NAAC.

- A Lok Sabha estimates committee found schools were [given too little time to prepare for the third language from Class 6](https://education.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/school-education/schools-lacked-time-to-prepare-third-language-formula-under-nep-model-parliamentary-panel/133198633), with unresolved gaps in language teacher recruitment, study material and even clarity on which language to pick, causing stress for students, teachers and parents. CBSE had [made the third language compulsory from Class 6 when it released the new curriculum in April](https://indianexpress.com/article/education/compulsory-third-language-in-class-6-vocational-education-a-must-in-class-9-10-cbse-releases-new-curriculum-10616187/). The panel wants translated textbooks and Jaadui Pitara kits reaching every rural and government school before each academic session begins.

- From the Red Fort on the 80th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi [promised free online coaching for competitive exams and AI training for one crore young people](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/whats-in-it-for-gen-z-in-pm-modis-independence-day-speech-ai-skills-free-coaching-sports-jobs/articleshow/133256260.cms). He pitched the coaching plan on cost, saying the race for coaching classes has become a massive burden for middle class families and that the government wants to save them the expense. A nationwide sports talent hunt for children aged five to 15 was announced alongside it.

- AICTE [approved 5,099 new institutions with 7,49,872 seats](https://www.bweducation.com/article/aicte-approves-5-099-new-institutions-with-7-5-lakh-seats-619111) for 2024-25, and Computer Applications and Management took more than 7.1 lakh of them between them. Engineering and Technology, the council's traditional core, got 107 institutions and 34,045 seats, less than a tenth of either. About 94% of the new capacity is at undergraduate level.

- Weeks after naming animal husbandry secretary Naresh Pal Gangwar to the job, the Centre [replaced him with corporate affairs secretary Deepti Gaur Mukerjee](https://thewire.in/government/govt-picks-second-new-higher-education-secretary-in-a-month) as higher education secretary. Gangwar's July 23 appointment, made during the nationwide NEET protests, had drawn scrutiny after reports that his wife, mother and son availed ₹1.16 crore in subsidies from the department he heads. He never took charge, since incumbent Vineet Joshi had not vacated the post.

- The Bar Council of India suspended enrolment for [NALSAR Hyderabad's 2026 BA batch over student protests against Chief Justice Surya Kant's convocation invite, then withdrew the order within the hour](https://news.careers360.com/nalsar-hyderabad-places-bci-inquiry-report-request-before-executive-council-ec-chairman-manan-mishra-law-graduates-cji-surya-kant) amid backlash from its own members. Its follow up request for an inquiry report on the students involved now goes to NALSAR's executive council, which will first decide whether such an inquiry is constitutional under the university's own regulations. The BCI chairman has since said no inquiry is needed and the chapter is closed.

- Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke launched a ["School Thik Karo" campaign](https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/school-thik-karo-abhijeet-dipke-government-schools-maharashtra-ptag-2971917-2026-08-15) on Independence Day from his village in Maharashtra's Hingoli district, after inspecting a Zilla Parishad school where he said the toilets had no water, windows were broken and four benches were serving a full classroom. Parents will fill a checklist auditing basic facilities in government schools, which CJP plans to compile nationally, while village heads get pushed to fix the gaps. Dipke, who [announced the campaign days earlier on X](https://www.ndtvprofit.com/india/abhijeet-dipke-announces-cjps-school-thik-karo-campaign-11899598), is also demanding a cap on private school fees.

- CBSE told schools to enrol teachers and heads in [NISHTHA proficiency and advanced courses by August 31](https://www.telegraphindia.com/edugraph/news/cbse-issues-two-notices-on-nishtha-courses-845-virtual-labs-on-diksha/cid/2174968), covering foundational literacy and numeracy, early childhood care, cyber hygiene and e-waste. A second notice pointed schools to more than 845 curriculum aligned virtual labs on DIKSHA, mapped to NCERT textbooks and reachable through QR codes printed inside them.

- Education Minister Pralhad Joshi [reviewed Kendriya Vidyalaya infrastructure and pending issues](https://government.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/education/union-education-minister-pralhad-joshi-reviews-functioning-of-kendriya-vidyalayas-discusses-infra-improvement/133146597) with senior ministry officials. He had chaired the 13th BRICS Education Ministers' Meeting in Bhubaneswar on August 8, which adopted a joint declaration.

### Bihar

- Bihar's Cabinet cleared a plan letting [300 private B.Ed colleges offer undergraduate degrees in arts, science and commerce](https://government.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/education/bihar-govt-approves-proposal-to-allow-300-private-b-ed-colleges-to-offer-ug-skill-based-courses/133199678) plus skill courses, turning standalone teacher education institutes into multidisciplinary colleges under NEP 2020 and NCTE rules. The same meeting extended the Student Credit Card Scheme by five years to 2030-31, with ₹950 crore provisioned for this financial year, and extended the Kushal Yuva skill programme to 2031 with ₹430.08 crore to train 2.57 lakh young people a year.

- Student leader Dilip was due to begin an [indefinite hunger strike at Patna's Gardanibagh on August 18](https://www.ndtv.com/education/bihar-students-to-go-on-hunger-strike-from-august-18-demand-education-ministers-resignation-11905893), demanding Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari's resignation and the long promised TRE 4 teacher recruitment notification that Tiwari had said would be out in July. Students say they will march on the Assembly if nothing moves within five days of the strike starting. The Education Department has reportedly sent the BPSC a requisition for 32,388 posts, down from roughly 45,000 in the earlier plan.

### Delhi

- Delhi made [vocational education and a third language compulsory for Class 9](https://www.ndtv.com/education/delhi-revises-class-9-exam-rules-vocational-education-third-language-now-compulsory-11924432) students, with the third language graded only as qualified or not qualified and clearable before the Class 10 boards. Students can also opt into 25 mark advanced papers in Maths and Science that count for nothing in promotion or aggregate but get noted on the marksheet at 50% or above. The Maths Basic and Standard split ends for Class 9 this session, and Computational Thinking and AI modules become compulsory from 2027-28.

### Haryana

- Haryana will equip [719 model schools with smart classrooms, AI based learning facilities, digital libraries and science labs](https://government.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/education/haryana-unveils-plan-for-smart-classrooms-and-ai-labs-in-719-government-schools/132801830), and build 150 new government schools to international standards using designs studied from other states. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini told the finance and education departments there should be no shortage of funds for the work.

### Kerala

- The Kerala State Higher Education Council [denied reports that it had approved NEP 2020](https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/national-education-policy-2020-not-approved-in-kerala-clarifies-kshec/article71340850.ece), saying the committee in question was set up only to suggest fixes to the four year undergraduate programme and has no power to take policy decisions. Vice-chairperson Achuthsankar S. Nair said only the structural parts of the policy are being implemented in the state, and the political leadership's position on the rest has not changed.

### Maharashtra

- Maharashtra amended its Private Universities Act to [allow private health sciences universities for the first time](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/maharashtra-amends-private-universities-act-to-include-medical-colleges-two-contenders-await-approval/articleshow/133222795.cms), with medical colleges needing 20 years of operation, a NAAC A+ grade and postgraduate courses running a decade in at least half their departments. Two contenders have filed project reports, Dr Vithalrao Vikhe Patil Foundation's college in Ahilyanagar and NKP Salve in Nagpur. These universities will set their own fees, and their students cannot claim scholarships or any state financial assistance.

### Rajasthan

- Rajasthan's education department is [developing 400 CM RISE model schools](https://government.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/education/rajasthan-plans-400-cm-rise-model-schools-expands-focus-on-skills-and-digital-education/133203466) alongside the 649 PM SHRI schools already in the state, with a stated focus on vocational courses, dropout prevention and student mental health. The plans were discussed with Piramal Foundation and Motilal Oswal Financial Services, as the state looks to pull more CSR money into schools.

### Uttar Pradesh

- Gautam Buddh Nagar's administration told every school in Noida and Greater Noida to [cap screen time at 30 minutes for primary classes and 60 minutes for upper primary](https://www.ndtv.com/education/noida-schools-asked-to-limit-smart-board-use-to-30-minutes-for-primary-students-11910052), after parents complained that children in some schools were spending four to five hours a day on smart boards. Schools must run quarterly eye examinations and share results with parents, and designated magistrates will monitor compliance.

## Financial Reports & Market Trends

- India has [about 46 million children aged 6 to 17 out of school](https://mediaindia.eu/education/46-million-children-out-of-school-as-indias-education-spending-stays-below-6-pc-target-unesco/), roughly 17% of that age group, on UDISE+ 2024-25 figures published around the same time as UNESCO's latest SDG 4 scorecard. Higher secondary retention is around 47%, so under half the children who start school are still in the system by Class 12, and higher secondary net enrolment is under 36%. UNESCO's statisticians caution that Indian out-of-school estimates swing by more than 10% between surveys, so the true figure could sit either side of 46 million.

- The number of Indians travelling abroad to study has [fallen nearly 31% from its 2023 peak](https://www.ndtv.com/education/study-abroad-rush-cools-indian-students-going-overseas-fall-31-in-2-years-11904072), from 8,94,758 that year to 7,60,060 in 2024 and 6,19,264 in 2025, per Bureau of Immigration data. The same figure had roughly doubled between 2021 and 2023. The government did not link the drop to foreign campuses opening in India when it answered Parliament, calling studying abroad an individual choice shaped by cost and access to finance.

- Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities generated [86.5% of the education loan applications](https://www.business-standard.com/finance/personal-finance/beyond-metros-tier-2-3-cities-account-for-86-5-of-education-loan-demand-126081800518_1.html) that financing platform Kuhoo received between January 2025 and July 2026, more than 2.5 lakh applications seeking ₹7,500 crore. Uttar Pradesh led with 12.87%, just ahead of Maharashtra. Job training programmes took 41.7% of disbursals and MBAs another 29%, well ahead of engineering at 5.5% and medical education at 4.7%.

- The government released just [₹266 crore of the ₹1,915 crore budgeted for PMKVY in 2025-26](https://www.academia360.in/pmkvy-4-0-skill-development-scheme-misses-90pc-target-gets-24pc-budget-msde-pm-kaushal-vikas-yojana-courses-india-nsdc-2025-2026), and the scheme certified 3.04 lakh people against a target of 30 lakh. Rajasthan's utilisation fell from ₹292 crore to ₹35 crore in a year and Uttar Pradesh's from ₹353 crore to ₹65 crore. The pattern isn't new: a [2025 CAG audit found 94.5% of trainee bank accounts invalid and short term placement at about 41%](https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/skill-india-as-herculean-challenges-galgotian-blunders/article70692190.ece).

- upGrad's [gross revenue crossed ₹2,000 crore in FY26 and its net loss narrowed 52% to ₹130 crore](https://inc42.com/buzz/upgrads-gross-revenue-crosses-%E2%82%B92000-cr-in-fy26-loss-narrows-52-yoy-to-%E2%82%B9130-cr/), the third straight year it has more than halved losses, down from ₹1,142 crore in FY23. EBITDA rose more than eightfold to ₹123 crore, which the company credits to AI trimming marketing and technology costs. It is acquiring Unacademy in an all stock deal [reported to value the rival at about ₹2,055 crore, roughly 90% below its 2021 peak](https://inc42.com/buzz/cci-clears-upgrads-unacademy-acquisition/).

- PhysicsWallah's [Q1 FY27 revenue rose 24% to ₹1,054 crore while its net loss narrowed 31% to ₹88 crore](https://entrackr.com/fintrackr/physicswallah-revenue-rises-24-to-rs-1054-cr-in-q1-fy27-loss-drops-31-12260822). Online revenue grew faster than offline, up 33% to ₹549 crore against 14.5% growth in the offline business. The stock closed that day at a ₹34,274 crore market capitalisation.

- Two smaller listed education firms also posted stronger quarters. Veranda Learning's [profit rose 5.7 times to ₹34 crore on revenue of ₹150 crore](https://yourstory.com/2026/08/veranda-learning-q1-fy27-profit-surges-57x-to-rs-34-cr), its sixth consecutive profitable quarter, with enrolments up 35% to 1.03 lakh, and it plans to demerge its commerce business. Jaro Education's [profit after tax rose 48% to ₹11.16 crore](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/education/jaro-education-q1-pat-up-48-27-pc-at-rs-11-16-crore/articleshow/133210040.cms) on total income of ₹72.62 crore, off 8,169 admissions in the quarter.

## Job Openings

- **WinVinaya Foundation** runs KaaryaVikas, a placement linked skilling programme that trains persons with disabilities for IT and BFSI roles across India. They're hiring a [Training Manager](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ayyappan-power-bi_training-manager-job-opening-winvinaya-ugcPost-7493180357694009344-RKH8) in Bengaluru, with travel to Tiruppur as needed, for someone with 5 to 8 years in placement linked skilling or corporate L&D who has certified and coached trainers, used AI tools for content and administered an LMS like Moodle or TalentLMS. Apply to career@winvinayafoundation.org with a CV and a note of up to 250 words on a training programme you ran where placement was the primary metric, subject line "Training Manager Application".

- **Save the Children International** is hiring a [Manager, Learning Measurement](https://www.savethechildren.net/careers/apply/details?jid=17259) to lead its Education Cannot Wait funded "Measuring what Matters" grant, which generates and uses teaching and learning data from multi-year resilience programmes. It is a fixed term contract of at least 24 months, hybrid or remote from any approved Save the Children office location, with up to 20% international travel and a part time arrangement open for the right candidate. Applications close on 20 August 2026.

- **LEAD Group**, the school edtech company behind LEAD School, is hiring a [Regional Head](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/amrat-pal-singh-07392a174_jd-ugcPost-7494247050448941057-KKz8) for Gujarat and Maharashtra to own the region's P&L, sales and operations and lead 20 to 25 cluster and area managers. They want 8 to 12 years of experience, a background in edtech or publishing, and a strong distributor network, with an MBA from a Tier 1 or Tier 2 institute preferred. Send a CV to amrat.singh_c@leadschool.in.

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