India's Higher Education at a Crossroads: Comparative Lessons from China and the United States and the Strategic Potential of Northeast India

This paper examines the futures of higher education in India through a comparative analysis of Chinese and American higher education models, with particular attention to the strategic positioning of Northeast India. Drawing on recent policy developments including the National Education Policy 2020 and China's Double First Class Initiative, the analysis argues that India requires a distinctive approach that transcends both the state-driven concentration model exemplified by China and the market-driven diversity model characteristic of the United States. The paper synthesizes empirical literature on regional challenges, digital transformation, sustainability imperatives, and the integration of traditional knowledge systems to propose that Northeast India possesses unique advantages as a laboratory for educational innovation. These advantages include its geographic position as a gateway to Southeast Asia, its biodiversity and indigenous knowledge assets, and its potential for first-mover positioning under NEP 2020's flexibility provisions. The paper concludes with five specific policy recommendations: the establishment of a Northeast Higher Education Consortium, a diaspora talent return fellowship program, designated Act East Academic Hubs, investment in knowledge translation infrastructure, and pilot programs testing radical autonomy in exchange for outcome accountability. The analysis contributes to ongoing debates about context-specific higher education reform in developing nations and the role of regional differentiation in national education systems.