India is celebrating National Education Day this year with the motto, 'We are changing education only by changing curriculum.  Allegiance to the National Education Policy 2020 and the commitment to its implementation appears to be an assurance about the success of this motto of Education Day.  It is noteworthy that the National Education Policy 2020, in its ideology, considers education as a basic and multi-purpose project.  

Where education is capable of transforming and transforming not an individual or society or system, but the entire nation.  The basic preamble of the National Policy on Education considers the imperative of quality education to be 'for all natural and inevitable in the making of a democratic, egalitarian, and knowledge-based society.  

Undoubtedly, the 21st century is a century of transition for the Indian education system, where the Indian education system is redefining its entire complexion in terms of structure, purpose, theory, process, practice, and application, etc.  The current status and progress of Indian higher education suggest that with over 1100 universities, 40,000 colleges, and 11000 higher education institutions of single specialization, by 2035, we will be able to take only half the population into higher education enrollment.  At present, the widening gap between the private and government education system is at an alarming level.  

According to the U-DIS report (2021-22), the number of English-medium middle-class 'public' schools is 3.35 lakh (22.4%), private or trust-managed 'elite' boarding schools are 2500, and convent schools are about 30000, which are state-of-the-art.  The curriculum, technical, qualified teachers, and facilities are preparing the students according to the expectations of the 21st century. 

 On the other hand, despite the inclusive national education policy, We are expecting children to provide global leadership in the 21st century while battling the lack of basic facilities in government schools.  Innovations in education are also expanding the institutionalization of educational inequalities.  The 21st century is also challenging in that, while modern capitalism and commercialism have retained their purely commercial nature, it has also developed new areas of market and professionalism. 

The education sector is one such sector, which is being strengthened by the capital business houses in the form of economic potential and profitable disinvestment.  This psycho-economy has given new meaning to education as a consumerist commodity where it can be bought and sold, freeing it from the concept of 'service' for social change.  

This changing market nature of education not only impairs the public service-oriented nature of education but also weakens the 'transformative potential of education.  National Education Day for us to reconsider.  Gives a holiday where we can expose education and the efforts being made for it in the context of public philanthropy and equitable participation. 

 Only by doing this, we will be able to keep the public acceptance, expectation, and aspiration towards education intact and nurture the sense of patriotism and belongingness for socio-cultural change in accordance with the intention of National Education Day through a nationalized structure of education.