New Delhi, Aug. 17 -- India's higher education system needs to better prepare students for employment and entrepreneurship, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, highlighting a gap between academic qualifications and workplace requirements.

In an interview with The Indian Express, Sitharaman noted that many university courses provide students with degrees but do not adequately equip them to enter the workforce, start businesses or handle professional responsibilities.

She emphasised that higher education systems in developed countries generally offer greater flexibility in choosing areas of study and provide clearer pathways for applying acquired skills in the workplace. India, she said, needs to adopt a similar approach by ma...