REIMAGINING INDIAN EDUCATION: A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CULTIVATING STUDENT HAPPINESS AND ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

India's education system once celebrated for its academic rigor, now faces an urgent crisis: exam-centric rigidity, chronic student stress, and high unemployment rates. The economic cost of skill mismatches is estimated at $90 billion annually (NSDC, 2023). This paper examined the crisis through a neuroscientific, socio-cultural, and economic lens, comparing India's system with Finland, Bhutan, and Germany. The study Findings indicated that integrating competency-based learning, AI-driven personalization, and mental health infrastructure can enhance student academic performance and happiness. Without reform, India risks perpetuating a cycle of disengagement and stagnation.