India, Dec. 9 -- Over decades, Indian higher-education institutions have been based on a classroom-first model: lecture halls, chalkboards, curricula that are scheduled and assessed by examinations, which encourage memorisation rather than practical competence. That, however, was effective in the industrial era. With the shift to knowledge-based, technology-based, and skill-based economy in India, classrooms are no longer sufficient.

Real learning increasingly happens in real businesses, among real problems, under real constraints. Apprenticeships, rather than lectures, may become the foundation of higher education in India. The future of the next several decades is probably guided by the universities that will incorporate on-the-job tra...