Beyond the 'Cockroach' Protests: What's Wrong with India's Education System?

India is being hit by a wave of protests over education issues. The ‘Cockroach’ demonstrations spread after young people were likened to cockroaches in remarks that triggered public fury. Rather than remaining an insult, the term has been transformed into a symbol of resistance and resilience among India’s young generation in the face of economic and social pressure.

The protest wave, driven by India’s youth, has now become the biggest political threat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his third term.

It began with the scandal surrounding the leak of the medical entrance examination (NEET) papers, which affected more than two million candidates. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement has become a symbol of young people’s disillusionment with the education system, high unemployment and weak government accountability.

The movement, which originated as satire on social media, has now succeeded in rallying millions of supporters and staging major demonstrations in New Delhi.

Thousands of demonstrators are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, reform of the national examination system, and justice for students affected by the paper leak. Clashes with security forces, who used tear gas and batons, have only swelled public support for the movement.

Observers believe the exam leak was merely the trigger. Behind it lies young people’s anger over the difficulty of finding work, the high cost of education and declining trust in state institutions. This has turned the protests into the most serious political challenge to the Modi government since it won a third term.

Education in India

Around 65% of India’s population is under the age of 35. For years, this young population has been seen as India’s greatest asset for driving economic growth and overtaking many other countries.

Yet in recent days, tens of thousands of young people have taken to the streets of New Delhi. Demonstrations that began peacefully ended in clashes with police, including the use of tear gas.

On the surface, their demand is simple: the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. But behind that demand, protesters believe there is a far bigger problem — an education system that has failed to match the scale of the demographic dividend.

Not Just About a Minister’s Resignation

The movement is led by a group called the Cockroach Janta Party, which started as a social media meme in May. The name ‘cockroach’ emerged after India’s Chief Justice was seen as comparing unemployed young people to the insect.

The movement then developed into real action. Its Instagram account has gathered around 24 million followers, whilst environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk began a hunger strike to demand education reform. On the 21st day of his action, Wangchuk was forcibly taken to hospital by plain-clothes officers.

At the protest site, Yash Mishra, a 28-year-old demonstrator who is also on hunger strike, described education as a basic need.

‘Education is like water. A basic need that everyone should be able to enjoy,’ he said, quoted by The Economist.

A similar demand came from Rahul Gandhi, leader of the Congress Party. He called for Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation and accused the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of having ‘destroyed the future of India’s young people.’

Nevertheless, Dharmendra Pradhan has refused to step down. In a post on X on 21 July, he promised ‘answers, reforms and accountability’, but did not grant the demand for his resignation.

A Demographic Dividend Called Into Question

The scale of the demonstrations is inseparable from the circumstances of India’s young generation itself.

Around 65% of India’s population is under 35. Yet nearly 25% of its young people are neither studying, working nor undergoing training, putting them at risk of losing momentum to enter the job market.

Meanwhile, the government has actually set a target for public education spending of 6% of GDP. However, actual spending remains around 4%, leading many to conclude that investment in human resources is not in step with India’s economic ambitions.

This has called into question the demographic dividend long regarded as an advantage. The working-age population is indeed large, but without an education system capable of preparing them, that advantage is difficult to convert into economic growth.

Getting into University Is Getting Harder

Competition for university places, particularly in medical faculties and elite campuses, has become increasingly fierce and expensive.

The pressure has been exacerbated by rampant leaks of entrance exam papers. In May, the government cancelled a medical school entrance exam taken by around 2.2 million candidates after an alleged leak was discovered. Many candidates said they had spent years preparing for the exam.

India has recorded nearly 100 cases of exam paper leaks in the past decade. Yet only two perpetrators have been convicted.

Amid such intense competition, the impact is not only academic. The Cockroach Janta Party movement says at least 20 students took their own lives after the exam leak in May. Meanwhile, admission rates at some of India’s best campuses are generally below 1%, adding to the pressure on students.

The Problem Is Not Just Leaked Exam Papers

On one hand, India has succeeded in getting children into formal education at an earlier age. In 2023, around 60.3% of five-year-olds were already in primary school, a high figure compared with many other countries.

However, the transition to the next level has not gone as well. Only 33% of those aged 15 to 19 are still in upper secondary education — one of the lowest figures among countries in the OECD database.

Vocational education pathways also remain very limited. Only 1.9% of those aged 15 to 19 are in vocational education, far below the OECD average of 23.1%. This means post-primary education options remain relatively narrow for many of India’s young people.

Pressure is also visible in the classroom. The pupil-to-teacher ratio in primary schools stands at 27.2 students per teacher, compared with an OECD average of just 13.4. The more students each teacher handles, the greater the challenge of maintaining learning quality.

OECD data also shows India is not yet a major destination for international students. In 2023, foreign students accounted for only 0.1% of all higher education students, far below the OECD average of 11.5%.

This picture shows the problem is not merely access to education. Challenges also lie in the system’s capacity, the quality of learning, and the global appeal of Indian higher education.

The number of young people has never been India’s problem. The next challenge is ensuring they receive an education good enough to turn the demographic dividend into economic strength, rather than mere unfulfilled potential.