Why mentorship holds the key to India’s future leaders
Mentorship transforms raw potential into purposeful leadership and can equip India’s youth to drive innovation and social transformation
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Sep 09, 2025, 17:02 IST3 min
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India’s greatest asset is its youth—not its land, not its resources. With nearly 43% of the population under 25, the nation stands on the cusp of extraordinary potential. Yet, for promise to become progress, we must address one critical bottleneck: opportunity. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 prescribes a pupil-teacher ratio of 30:1 (25:1 in disadvantaged areas). In reality, ratios in many states are drifting well beyond 40:1, as per state education department data and Ministry of Education figures (2025)—robbing students of the personalised attention so essential for growth.
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One proven, cost-effective way to bridge this gap is mentorship—an engine for empowerment, self-confidence, leadership, and social mobility.
Mentorship: a proven catalyst for growth
Globally and in India, evidence shows that mentoring can change the trajectory of a life. Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam credited Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, founder of India’s space programme, for recognising his potential and entrusting him with key projects that shaped his career. Although many people recognise the importance of having a mentor, relatively few have experienced the benefits of one themselves.When such relationships form, the results are profound. For mentees, benefits extend beyond academics—mentorship builds resilience, belonging, and the skills to navigate unfamiliar academic and professional systems. For mentors, research shows it sharpens leadership skills, decision-making, and empathy, making it a transformative experience.
Large-scale programmes prove the point. In the US, iMentor has achieved a 93% college acceptance rate among mentees, while reducing “summer melt” (students failing to enrol despite admission) to just 13%.
Real-world success: Abhyudaya and beyond
In India, SPJIMR’s Abhyudaya programme has demonstrated the long-term value of mentorship. Each year, first-year PGDM participants are paired with school students—called Sitaras—from Mumbai’s K-West Ward (Andheri West), a locality where financial constraints often limit access to quality education. Since 2008, 4,046 PGDM participants have mentored 1,016 young learners through home visits, co-created learning plans, and regular reflection sessions.Also Read
The three A's of responsible leadership The focus is on trust before teaching. A PGDM participant observed, “Mentoring is not teaching—it’s listening.” Another mentor described the experience as “permanently transformative”, despite its formal one-year duration.
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Beyond SPJIMR, other initiatives have made a similar impact. Delhi’s Desh Ke Mentor programme connects working professionals with government school students for career guidance, reaching over 174,000 students. The Eklavya India Foundation has mentored 2,000 first-generation learners to enter India’s top institutions and development fellowship programmes. In rural India, Avanti Fellows combines mentorship with peer learning to prepare students for competitive exams such as the IIT-JEE and NEET, overcoming barriers of geography and limited resources.
Why mentorship matters — from both perspectives
For students, personalised attention builds confidence and a sense of belonging, helping them to believe in their own potential. Guidance from a mentor can boost school completion rates, open doors to higher education, and acquire life skills that go beyond the classroom. For first-generation learners, mentors help navigate the complexities of academic and professional pathways that might otherwise feel inaccessible.For mentors, the rewards are just as powerful. The process sharpens empathy, decision-making, and strategic thinking, while offering purpose and a fresh perspective. Practical skills—goal-setting, creating structured learning plans, and evaluating progress—often carry over into the workplace, making them better leaders.
Scaling mentorship: a national imperative
To embed mentorship as a cornerstone of youth development, India must act decisively. It needs to be institutionalised across education, corporate, and non-profit sectors. Structured approaches such as near-peer mentoring—where slightly senior students guide juniors—have proven effective in Indian STEM outreach and global leadership programmes, offering a scalable, relatable model.Crucially, programmes must measure outcomes and adapt based on evidence, tracking indicators such as retention, confidence, and leadership growth. Above all, mentorship should be seen as a reciprocal exchange, not an act of charity—producing grounded, empathetic, and capable leaders on both sides of the relationship.
The path ahead
India’s youth carry immense promise, but potential does not realise itself. It needs deliberate cultivation—and scalable, structured mentorship is the soil in which it thrives. Whether in a Mumbai chawl, a rural classroom, a university campus, or a corporate boardroom, mentorship equips young people with the tools to lead, inspire, and create impact.If every Sitara had a mentor—and every mentor embraced the growth that comes from guiding—we could unlock not just the futures of individual lives, but the future of our nation itself.
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About the author: Arati Nagraj is the Director of Abhyudaya at the S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR). With over 30 years of experience in education, she has contributed extensively across teaching, curriculum design, faculty training, and academic administration.
Views are personal.
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