Prime Minister Narendra Modi has long spoken about the vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047. Significantly, India is poised to witness several historic developments over the next two to three years—beginning with the population census, followed by the delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies, and the implementation of women’s reservation. The Government of India is working to make the country rank among the top three economies in the world. While all this is going to happen, the ruling coalition and the opposition have shown no sign of political reforms even after 75 years of Independence.
As of the most recent official estimates (2023–24), India’s overall literacy rate is about 80.9% for the population aged 7 years and above, yet, politicians with no degrees doesn’t appear to bother anyone. Degrees of politicians have been a hot topic in the election battle. While the political leaders are mandated to furnish their details in their election affidavit, what is concerning is that a country with over a billion people or a state with millions is sometimes governed by leaders lacking formal education, be it a Chief Minister or Ministers heading different departments.
Haryana has a law requiring minimum educational qualifications for candidates contesting panchayat elections. Rajasthan had a similar law, but it was repealed following opposition. Can a country aspiring to become a global superpower or a state aiming to be an economic powerhouse achieve these goals without leaders who possess a clear vision? Is it time for all political parties to unite and set a minimum educational qualification for a leader to get elected?
Professor Shashi Kant Pandey, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, said that given the improvement in the country’s literacy rate, India can now think about a mandatory educational qualification for political leaders.
“We have had a system from the very beginning, set by political masters, and it has been kept convenient for them. Of course, this situation has persisted. A person heading a nation or a state is not required to have any fixed educational qualification, whereas someone recruited to a fourth-class position must meet mandatory qualification criteria. Instances of individuals who were only eighth-grade pass or ninth-grade fail holding the post of Chief Minister occurred in the post-independence period. This could be justified at that time due to the low literacy rate. However, today, when the literacy rate is much higher, we should certainly introduce the parameter of educational qualification. With even a bare minimum level of education, a person develops a broader vision and outlook. The government is reconsidering many aspects of governance, so why not this as well?” said Prof Pandey.
So, what should be the ideal approach? Many believe that a graded system of educational qualifications would be appropriate—Class 10 as the minimum for local body elections such as gram panchayats or municipal corporations, Class 12 for MLAs, and a graduate degree for MPs.
However, Professor Ashutosh Kumar, Punjab University, differed with the mandatory degree-analogy, while favouring school level education.
“I do not think minimum educational qualification is a major issue now. In states like Haryana, Class 10th qualification has been set as the minimum educational criterion for Sarpanch elections, and the High Court and even the Supreme Court upheld it. There is logic behind this, as governance has become very complex, and a basic level of education is necessary; otherwise, bureaucrats or contractors tend to dominate decision-making. That said, a degree alone is not everything—natural intelligence also matters. However, a sound school education is essential,” he said, favouring mandatory secondary school level education.
A political expert, who chose to remain anonymous, further suggested that proficiency in English, in addition to one’s mother tongue—such as Tamil, Telugu, Odia, or Hindi—should be mandatory for those appointed as Ministers. Since ministers frequently interact with foreign delegations, investors, and international counterparts, and often travel abroad on official assignments, knowledge of English can significantly enhance communication and help overcome language barriers.
“This could be one approach. Minimum educational criteria are often viewed as an elitist ideology. At times, even graduates can have narrow or regressive thinking. Nonetheless, a basic level of education—at least secondary schooling—should be mandatory. There should be an understanding of English, Hindi, or relevant state languages such as Tamil or Telugu. A leader must be able to read and write, and even Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar emphasised the importance of education,” said Professor Kumar.
An expert observed that the government should take the opposition along to build consensus on minimum educational criteria and clearly define a cut-off or implementation date—even if it is set 10 or 15 years in the future. He said that the government should bring in legislation after forming a consensus with the opposition parties and enact the law now with an implementation date, be it 2034, 2039 or 2044, but it should be done. He also noted that if some leaders are genuinely visionary but doesn’t have that minimum basic qualification, the government can keep them as advisors or key party posts to benefit from their ideaas. As India charts its path toward Viksit Bharat, the debate is no longer whether educational qualifications matter, but when political consensus will catch up with the country’s aspirations.
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