India's K-12 education system is being re-scripted with unprecedented policy reforms that have the potential to transform the way students are preparing for opportunities in India and across the globe, says Ganesh Kohli, founder of IC3 Movement. From NEP 2020 to Maharashtra's plan to transition most government schools into the CBSE syllabus by 2028, the reforms are bringing the level of schooling at the state level to the global level.
Kohli has referred to Maharashtra's action as a shift and not an academic shift. "It's a gateway to change the student experience," he stated in an interview with The Free Press Journal. "This is a unique opportunity to inject structured career and college counselling into the DNA of our schools." Maharashtra's CBSE switch and the gap in counselling: He cited Maharashtra's consistently high suicide rates among students as one that points to the need.
"A vast majority of students, particularly the state's underprivileged enclaves, have no means of even elementary counselling. The CBSE emphasis on wholesome development gives the best opportunity to implement career and college guidance in government schools. Through access to trained instructors, meditation and mindfulness classes, and early exposure to post-schooling opportunities, we can make sure they not only plan their life but also enjoy doing it. This goes with new CBSE directions.". The board launched a Career Guidance Dashboard and Counselling Hub and Spoke model to connect more-resourced 'hub' schools with smaller 'spoke' schools in an effort to improve counselling access. The programs have been seen as a welcome by schools since they fill an age-old gap in student support.
According to Kohli, school counselling models that integrate are becoming increasingly relevant to schools. IC3 Career and College Counselling Laboratory, for instance, allows the NEP emphasis on flexibility and inter-disciplinary learning on a bigger level while supporting students from middle school through graduation. "These frameworks allow students to build self-knowledge, navigate global routes, and make informed decisions—not just at high school graduation, but along the way," he explained.
This is also facilitated by new ideas, like the IC3 school dramas. These are programs that introduce children to a healthy surrounding where they are able to exercise their creativity, socialize with each other, and develop confidence in themselves. These are all aspects which every university in the world is missing. While that, Maharashtra's introduction of new activity- and skills-based Std I textbooks—from local tales and riddles—is revolutionizing the landscape of early learning. Covering 68 foundational skills, they reflect the experience-, context-driven philosophy promoted by the NEP. Aspirations increasing, preparedness lagging: Policy shifts are inducing a change of heart, asserts Kohli. "We're noticing increasingly more and more students wishing to seek higher education internationally.". But whereas ambitions are on the increase, readiness is diverse, he stated.
Curriculum changes like CBSE's modules for skill-based from Class 6 and its recent announcement to introduce open-book exams for Class 9 from 2026-27 are aimed at instilling critical thinking and eliminating rote learning. But Kohli warns that "unless they have trained teachers and counsellors, most students will find it difficult to translate aspiration into action." He also stresses coordination between the government and schools so reform can be achieved. "Policies like the NEP 2020 and state-led reform are constructing an integrated scholastic architecture, but we must accompany them with strong support infrastructure in career guidance, language abilities, and thinking skills."
Kohli is adamant to start early. "When students begin to explore their future in Grade 6, they make room to think, to inquire, and to grow," he said. This, he feels, can level the metropolitan and rural students. CBSE teacher and school leadership capacity building workshops, he continues, is a good step in the right direction, but much needs to be done. "The NEP appeal to introduce career guidance at middle school level is timely. If students in resource-poor areas are adequately exposed and guided, then they are as driven and can pursue global opportunities."
What's next?
Kohli dreams of three straightforward trajectories of policy driving India's schools: More skills-driven education—incorporating vocational and 21st-century skills as a core element of the curriculum. Guidance and college and career guidance as a mandate—with funding and direct instructions for trained school counsellors in all schools. Mental health and wellbeing—more than hype and publicity campaigns to systematic interventions like mindfulness training, peer counselling, and trained staff to help. "These reforms, if implemented with success, will not merely make Indian students pass with the educational qualifications but with the life skills to compete on a global platform," Kohli asserted.
