Access to learning has expanded over the years, but the challenge today lies in ensuring that education evolves alongside changing industries, technologies and social realities. For Smriti Irani, this shift calls for a reimagining of how students learn and prepare for the future. In an exclusive conversation with EdexLive, she reflects on the need to bridge the gap between education and industry, address the issue of girls dropping out of school, and ensure that opportunities reach students from every background.
Reimagining Learning in a Digital Era
According to Smriti Irani, the traditional understanding of education being limited to schools and colleges is rapidly evolving. In a technology-driven world, learning opportunities now extend far beyond the walls of academic institutions. She believes that students can actively seek knowledge from multiple sources, including digital platforms, industry professionals, and real-world experiences. While academic degrees remain important, practical exposure and industry engagement are equally critical in shaping career readiness. Irani emphasises that institutions can encourage such exposure by facilitating interactions between students and industry leaders, professional bodies and corporate institutions. Even students pursuing disciplines outside management or business, she notes, can benefit greatly from understanding areas such as corporate governance, professional ethics and industry practices.
Despite improvements in school enrolment rates across India, the dropout rate among girls remains a concern in several regions. Irani points out that while the participation of girls in primary education is encouraging, the real challenge lies in ensuring their continued academic journey beyond the early years of schooling. Government initiatives have played an important role in encouraging education for girls, particularly through free schooling up to the eighth grade. However, she believes the issue cannot be addressed by government policies alone. According to Irani, families and communities must play an equally active role in ensuring that girls remain in school and continue their education. Social attitudes, expectations and responsibilities within families often influence whether girls pursue higher education. She also highlights another challenge, although girls often outperform boys in board examinations, their transition into fields such as science, technology and engineering remains relatively limited. Encouraging greater participation in these fields, she believes, requires a combined effort from schools, families and society.
When it comes to ensuring equal educational opportunities for students from underprivileged backgrounds, Irani notes that several policies and support systems are already in place. However, the effectiveness of these policies depends greatly on how they are implemented and supported by communities. She emphasises that while governments can create enabling policies and infrastructure, families must also take responsibility for ensuring that children, especially girls, complete their education. Irani points out that measures such as building separate sanitation facilities for girls in schools were introduced to ensure that students feel safe and comfortable continuing their education, particularly during adolescence. Such initiatives, she says, were designed to remove practical barriers that often prevent girls from staying in school.
As International Women's Day celebrates the achievements and aspirations of women across the world, Smriti Irani’s reflections highlight an important truth, that empowering girls through education requires sustained effort from every section of society. While policies and institutions can open doors, it is the support of families, communities and mentors that helps young girls walk through them. Ensuring that every girl has the opportunity to learn, grow, and pursue her ambitions remains one of the most meaningful steps toward building a more inclusive future.
