Akshara J Menon - Insights

How Scarce Is India's Higher Education, Really?

Introducing the Scarcity Intensity Index (SCI) - A Data-Driven Framework for Informed Educational Decisions Edcom Research Desk · Akshara J Menon · June 2026 · 8 min read Introduction Every year, millions of Indian students sit for some of the most competitive entrance examinations in the world. Yet, when it comes to choosing

The Economics of Educational Choice: What Your Degree Costs, and What It Actually Pays.

EdCom Research. Akshara J Menon · July 2026 · 9 min read For generations people thought higher education is one of the safest investment a student can make. The logic was simple: earn a degree, secure a good job, and enjoy a better career prospects. However, in today's rapidly evolving

India's Neo Education Boom: Promise, Price and the Actual Outcome.

A new generation of practitioner led institutes is challenging the old IIT and IIM order. A close look at their fees, placement data and regulatory status shows a picture that is more layered than either the marketing or the criticism suggests. Edcom research Desk , Akshara J Menon, August 2026, 10

What India's Students Are Choosing, and What the Job Market Actually Wants

A cross analysis of India's official education and admissions data alongside new labour data from the World Economic Forum and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics finds India's toughest competition and the world's fastest growing jobs pointing in different directions. Edcom Research Desk · Akshara

The Courses That Didn't Exist Five Years Ago

How six government missions are quietly rewriting the choices open to India's Class 12 students Edcom research Desk , Akshara J Menon, July 2026, 10 mins read 27.08 lakh trained under PMKVY 4.0 across 38 sectors 31 new-age ITI trades introduced by the DGT 85.27

India Ordered 1,600 New Aircraft. It May Not Have Enough Pilots to Fly Them.

DGCA's fleet and licensing data show an aviation sector that has nearly doubled its fleet in a decade, recovered from the deepest losses in its history, and is now buying aircraft faster than it is training pilots. Edcom Research Desk, Akshara J Menon | A Fleet That Nearly Doubled

The Great Indian Academic Exodus: Why 1.25 Million Students Are Voting With Their Visas

EdCom Research Desk · Akshara J Menon · June 2026 · 8 min read India produces the world's largest cohort of young graduates every year. Yet official data from the Ministry of External Affairs reveals that 1,254,013 Indian students are currently enrolled in universities abroad - a number larger than