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India’s pharmacy education system is facing serious concerns due to an outdated curriculum and weak regulatory oversight. Many colleges continue to follow old syllabi that fail to keep pace with rapid advancements in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, said Dr Bahubali G Nagavi, founder, HESDAR Center; Mysuru and former founding Dean RAK College of Pharmaceutical Science, UAE.
At the same time, inadequate and inconsistent inspections by authorities allow substandard institutions to operate without meeting proper academic or infrastructure standards, ultimately affecting the quality of graduates and the credibility of the profession, he added.
Pharmacy education in India is set to mark its centenary in 2032. Over the past nine decades, the sector has expanded rapidly, far outpacing the growth of similar institutions in many developed and developing countries. As of 2025–26, nearly 4,600 colleges across India offer pharmacy courses, he noted.
Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) and the profession have over time, inherited several challenges, many of which now threaten the foundation of pharmacy education. At the heart of the issue lies not the number of institutions, but the quality of education, pointed out Dr Nagavi.
Identifying six challenges, Dr Nagavi said the first is changing the mind-set of regulators, academic leaders and other players in pharmacy education. Many are stuck in a colonial mind-set and do not believe that changes are possible and can be done at the grassroots level.
“Unfortunately, the PCI exercises rigid control over the curriculum. There are at least 10% institutions, who can lead the profession and education in the right direction, provided their autonomy is upheld and these are encouraged to initiate needed changes in the curriculum as and when necessary. At this point, there is a need for more centres of excellence”, said Dr Nagavi.
Second is the lack of uniformity. Principals, students, buildings, library faculties etc are not the same, even as certain basic norms are complied. Having a uniform syllabus does not make institutions same, he said.
Third is the age-old curriculum, assessment and evaluation techniques. PCI changes the syllabus once in 10 to 30 years, knowing well that internationally changes are made frequently, based on the need of the industry, and the profession. New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is yet to be implemented. Universities are not insisted to change the curriculum as per NEP, Dr Nagavi noted.
Fourth, many private and deemed universities have effectively functioned like affiliated institutions. While they have the opportunity to implement the reforms envisioned under NEP 2020 and update their curricula, only a few have taken the initiative. Many others have refrained from doing so, citing the ongoing curriculum revisions by PCI.
Fifth is the prevalence of unethical and unprofessional practises. Even PCI, the custodian of values has erred ethically on several occasions, going by the events published in the public domain across newspapers, social media platforms and court cases. It is high time for the academic leaders to introspect, discuss in public platforms in the larger interest of the pharmacy education, he said.
Sixth is that PCI must build its lost position in public domain by setting its house right at the earliest. It should facilitate the formation of National Pharmacy Commission to improve education standards, and enhance professional practice. It should provide the new base for the pharmacy education. Atmanirbhar Bharath is possible through Atmanirbhar pharmacy education and practice where quality is the engine of success, said Dr Nagavi.
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