The education yearender 2025–26 marks a defining moment for India’s education system, with sweeping policy reforms, curriculum shifts, and student-centric innovations reshaping the learning landscape. Throughout the academic year, Edinbox’s education coverage closely examined how NEP 2020 implementation, higher education governance changes, skill-based learning models, and mental health integration in schools and universities influenced classrooms across India. From landmark legislation such as the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, to grassroots initiatives in state education systems, the year captured both the ambition of education reform and the anxieties around access, quality, and employability. As schools, colleges, and skill institutions navigated technology-led learning, hybrid education models, and evolving career pathways, 2025–26 emerged as a pivotal chapter in India’s journey toward a more inclusive, future-ready, and learner-focused education ecosystem.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025 marks a major overhaul of India’s higher education regulatory framework by proposing a single, unified regulator to replace bodies such as the UGC, AICTE, and NCTE. Introduced by the Modi government on December 15, 2025, the bill aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and seeks to simplify approvals, reduce regulatory overlap, and promote holistic reform in universities and colleges across India. At its core, the bill aims to shift the system from control-based regulation to outcome- and quality-based governance.
Under the proposed law, a 12-member Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) will oversee higher education through three specialised councils—Regulatory, Accreditation, and Standards. Universities will be granted greater academic and administrative autonomy based on accreditation outcomes rather than bureaucratic permissions. The bill mandates transparency, sets uniform academic standards, and explicitly seeks to prevent the commercialisation of education. Strict penalties have been proposed, including fines of up to ₹75 lakh for regulatory violations and up to ₹2 crore for fake or fraudulent institutions, signalling a tougher stance on quality and accountability. Funding mechanisms are also being restructured, with grants routed directly through the education ministry instead of intermediary regulators.
Alongside education reforms, the government has also introduced the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar Bill, which proposes to replace MGNREGA with a new employment framework offering 125 days of guaranteed rural wage employment per year. Together with three other key bills tabled on December 15, 2025, these legislative measures form part of the broader Viksit Bharat@2047 vision, linking education reform, employability, and economic transformation. The twin focus on autonomous universities and assured rural employment reflects the government’s attempt to align higher education outcomes with national development goals.
Similarly, the IIM (Amendment) Bill, 2025, enabling a new IIM in Guwahati, highlighted the government’s focus on regional expansion of elite institutions. Edinbox reporting contextualised this within the broader debate on quality versus quantity in management education.
In the wake and sake of ‘Transgender’ education, Samagra Shiksha’s ₹41,250 crore allocation—over half the Department of School Education & Literacy budget—signalled continued emphasis on foundational learning, infrastructure, and inclusion. However, Edinbox stories consistently underlined a core challenge: declining enrolments and uneven fund utilisation, especially in rural and government schools.
The Union Budget 2025–26 reinforced technology-driven education, allocating ₹500 crore for a Centre of Excellence in AI for Education and ₹2,000 crore for the IndiaAI Mission. Edinbox tracked how AI, hybrid learning, and adaptive platforms expanded rapidly, with over 82% institutions adopting hybrid models and AI tools improving learning outcomes—while also warning of a persistent 30% digital divide.
NEP rollout milestones dominated coverage this year: the 5+3+3+4 structure reaching 67% adoption, competency-based assessments, coding from Class 6, vocational exposure in 50+ skills, and reforms like biannual board exams aimed at reducing stress. Alongside this, Edinbox amplified the growing focus on student mental health, reporting on meditation programmes in Ahmedabad schools, mindfulness under NEP, and cultural coping trends among Gen Z.
A key education trend gaining momentum is the shift towards skill-based and experiential learning, aimed at preparing students for real-world challenges beyond textbooks. Uttar Pradesh’s ‘Anandam’ bagless days have emerged as a standout model, offering Classes 6 to 8 students hands-on workshops, educational tours, and exposure to 34 activity-based learning modules that nurture creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. At the higher education level, employability-driven courses in agriculture, forensic sciences, and nutrition are witnessing rising enrolments, supported by national entrance platforms such as AIFSET and AIACAT. These programmes reflect a growing recognition that future careers will demand interdisciplinary skills, practical exposure, and early career orientation rather than rote learning.
Edinbox also spotlighted niche careers and experiential learning, from media to mental health. In Ahmedabad, the introduction of meditation sessions across 1,800 schools has shown promising results in improving classroom behaviour and reducing aggression. Parallelly, cultural initiatives such as the emerging trend of ‘Bhajan Clubbing’ are resonating with Gen Z, blending tradition with contemporary formats to improve focus, emotional balance, and anxiety management.
The major laws and bills of the year
Four pieces of legislation stood out in 2025, either for their impact or for the debates they triggered, as per parliamentary and assembly records:
- The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, introduced in Parliament in December
- The Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, 2025, passed and notified in August
- The Rajasthan Coaching Centres (Control and Regulation) Bill, 2025, introduced in March and referred to a Select Committee
- The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which cleared both Houses of Parliament
Each addressed a different layer of the education system, and each came with its own set of expectations and concerns.
Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025 lays out clear rules for how higher education institutions in India will be established and managed. It aims to empower higher educational institutions (HEIs) and promote excellence by aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
What the bill is about
The bill establishes a single authority, the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan, to replace UGC, AICTE, and NCTE. It sets up three councils responsible for overseeing standards, regulation, and accreditation of higher education institutions. Rather than issuing guidelines, the government has codified these provisions into law, giving the framework a formal legal backing, as per the Ministry of Education.
Current status
The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 15, 2025, as confirmed by the Ministry of Education. It has not yet been passed into law and is awaiting further parliamentary review. The official press release notes that the Cabinet had approved the bill before its introduction, ensuring a clear legal and administrative path. Because it was introduced late in the year, detailed debate has not yet taken place. More discussions are expected when the bill is taken up, particularly on issues related to institutional autonomy and the role of states.
Delhi School Education Act, 2025
The Delhi School Education Act, 2025 is a major law aimed at bringing transparency and accountability to private school fee structures in the capital. It addresses long-standing concerns about arbitrary fee hikes and parental grievances.
What the act is about
The Act requires schools to disclose how they calculate fees and includes parent representation through school-level committees. It also sets up a formal grievance process, as detailed in the notified Act and education department guidelines. The law does not cap fees arbitrarily but ensures that any increase is justified and clearly explained.
Current status
The Act was passed by the Delhi Assembly on August 8, 2025, and notified a week later, as per Delhi Assembly proceedings and the Delhi Gazette notification. Implementation has begun for the 2026–27 admission cycle, and its success will depend on effective enforcement.
Rajasthan Coaching Centres Bill, 2025
The Rajasthan Coaching Centres Bill, 2025 targets the regulation of private coaching institutes, an issue that gained attention due to the pressures faced by students in hubs like Kota. It aims to create a formal structure to monitor operations, fees, and student welfare.
What the bill is about
The bill requires all coaching centres to register officially and display their fees clearly. Centres can face penalties if they provide false information. It also includes rules to safeguard students’ mental health and safety, as stated in the bill text placed before the Assembly. The goal is to regulate a sector that has grown rapidly and to ensure accountability.
Current status
The bill was introduced in the Rajasthan Assembly on March 19, 2025, and referred to a Select Committee on March 24, 2025, according to Rajasthan Assembly records. It was later passed by the Assembly in September 2025, but is still awaiting official enactment and implementation steps.
Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill
The IIM (Amendment) Bill, 2025 focuses on expanding India’s premier management education system. It allows the establishment of a new IIM in Guwahati while clarifying governance rules for existing institutions.
What the bill is about
The amendment updates the original IIM Act to allow the creation of a new IIM in Guwahati, according to the Statement of Objects and Reasons attached to the bill. It gives the Centre flexibility to increase capacity while maintaining quality standards across all IIMs.
Current status
The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 19, 2025, and by the Rajya Sabha on August 20, 2025. It is now awaiting official notification, which will enable the new IIM in Guwahati, Assam.
Looking Ahead: 2026 and Beyond
The education laws of 2025 do not point in a single direction, but they do share a common theme. Governments are trying to put clearer rules around areas that have long been marked by friction — school fees, coaching centres, institutional governance.
There is also a noticeable shift in where decisions are being made. States are stepping in where problems are local and immediate, while the Centre is focusing on frameworks and expansion. Education policy, in that sense, is becoming more layered and more grounded.
2025 will not be remembered for one landmark education reform. Instead, it will stand out as a year when education began to be shaped more deliberately through law. Some of these measures will work better than others. Some will invite pushback. But together, they signal that education is no longer being left to informal arrangements and temporary fixes.
The real test, as always, will come not in assemblies or Parliament, but in schools, coaching centres and campuses in the months ahead.
As Edinbox sees it, 2026 will be a year of execution, not announcements. The focus will shift to teacher training for over 3.2 million educators, closing the connectivity gap, strengthening skill-linked education, and preparing learners for green jobs, quantum technologies, and micro-credentials. The challenge will be ensuring reforms translate into classrooms—without leaving students behind.
For Edinbox, the year ahead promises deeper scrutiny, sharper ground reports, and continued focus on making education policy understandable, accountable, and human.
