The IKS Paradigm

The integration of Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) into contemporary education is no longer only an academic or cultural proposition. It has become an explicit component of India's higher-education reform agenda under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The Ministry of Education identifies IKS integration, Indian languages, cultural knowledge and curriculum development as important elements of the transformation of higher education, while the University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued specific guidelines for incorporating Indian Knowledge in higher-education curricula and for training faculty in IKS.

Yet policy intent and classroom experience are not necessarily the same thing.

The IKS Paradigm addresses this gap by examining how India's college students actually encounter, understand and engage with Indian Knowledge Systems. Rather than treating IKS integration simply as a curriculum question, the project approaches it as an issue of knowledge accessibility, student awareness, institutional exposure and contemporary relevance.

IKS encompasses a wide range of knowledge traditions developed across different periods, regions and intellectual traditions of the Indian subcontinent. These include areas such as mathematics, astronomy, medicine, agriculture, linguistics, philosophy, architecture, performing arts, metallurgy, environmental knowledge and systems of learning. Current government initiatives themselves reflect this breadth: the IKS programme identifies areas ranging from mathematical and astronomical sciences to medical knowledge, agriculture, architecture, linguistics and contemporary social sciences.

The challenge, therefore, is not simply whether IKS should be present in universities. It is how students encounter it, what they understand by it, which resources they can access, and whether they perceive it as relevant to contemporary education and professional life.

The project focuses particularly on college students because they occupy a critical position in India's changing knowledge ecosystem. Today's students will enter professions in education, healthcare, administration, technology, policymaking, research and cultural institutions. Their understanding of traditional knowledge will consequently influence how such knowledge is interpreted, transmitted, challenged, adapted or applied in the future.

The study examines several interconnected dimensions. First is awareness: whether students have heard of IKS and what they understand the term to mean. Second is accessibility: whether students have access to courses, books, digital resources, institutional programmes, experts and learning opportunities. Third is attitude: whether IKS is perceived as academically credible, culturally significant, professionally relevant or primarily historical. Fourth is institutional exposure: whether universities and colleges provide structured opportunities to engage with Indian knowledge traditions. Finally, the study considers how students perceive the relationship between traditional knowledge and contemporary innovation.

This distinction is important. Awareness does not necessarily imply understanding, and exposure does not necessarily imply meaningful engagement.

The project therefore seeks to generate an evidence base that can move the discussion from policy prescription to implementation reality. An all-India assessment can identify where awareness is concentrated, where resource gaps exist, which student groups have limited exposure, and how perceptions differ by educational background, discipline, region and institutional context.

The project is also informed by a broader recognition that knowledge systems are shaped by language, community and lived experience. UNESCO's recent work on multilingual education similarly emphasizes the role of local languages and cultural knowledge in creating more inclusive and contextually relevant learning environments.

The central question is therefore not whether traditional knowledge should replace modern scientific education. It is whether India's higher-education system can create a rigorous intellectual space in which different knowledge traditions can be studied, evaluated, documented and meaningfully connected to contemporary learning.

By establishing baseline evidence on student awareness and access, The IKS Paradigm aims to support universities, policymakers and educators in designing more targeted approaches to IKS integration. The project's contribution lies in bringing the student's perspective into a policy conversation that is often dominated by curriculum design and institutional implementation.

Primary objective: To assess awareness, accessibility, perceptions and engagement with Indian Knowledge Systems among college students across India, generating evidence that can inform curriculum development, institutional strategies and future research.