Why Maheshwer Peri rages against India's education machine

Publisher, influencer, entrepreneur, activist, and counsellor—Maheshwer Peri has worn many hats. He has emerged as a voice in Indian education that no one can ignore. But what drives the man?

An influential voice in Indian education, Peri is a serial provocateur whose viral social-media posts have inspired many spirited debates

He asserts that he wields data as a powerful tool to highlight alarming realities, such as a staggering sevenfold rise in fees at IIMs

For someone who runs Careers360, a publication that sells education services and reviews educational institutes, balancing conflicting interests is crucial

Having fought and won a legal battle against IIPM, Peri has managed to build his reputation within the industry. But it’s also one that he has to defend

If there is something to know about the Indian education system, Maheshwer Peri wants to be the one who informs students about it. Even if it means setting the cat among the pigeons.

A case in point is his February Twitter thread questioning the 575% surge 575% surge Twitter @maheshperi Read more in the fees charged by the reputed Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A)—Rs 27 lakh ($32,700) in 2021 from Rs 4 lakh ($4,800) in 2007.

The thread ruffled many a feather, prompting prominent voices within Indian education to respond—mainly with criticism.

Peri has a knack for inciting spirited debates within academic circles. The serial provocateur is the founder and chief executive (CEO) of Pathfinder Publishing Pvt. Ltd, a company that runs Careers360—a publication covering the education sector—and offers counselling and college-recommendation services.

Peri and his trusted lieutenants keep his company’s team of 350 employees on their toes. “We file 20,000 RTIs RTIs RTI Right to Information in India allows citizens to ask the government for information they want and get a response within a time frame [Right to Information] in a year,” he said.

All this data gathering, finding patterns, and breaking stories are the means to one end—to be the “most credible” voice in Indian education.

The Twitter thread, in which Peri directly blamed IIMs for having “singularly led higher education to become expensive & unaffordable,” saw a range of rejoinders.

Sanjeev Bikhchandani, the co-founder of the private institution Ashoka University and founder of online classifieds giant Infoedge, responded responded Twitter @sbikh Read more : “The salaries went up first, fees went up later.”

IIM graduates, too, spoke out—some for and some against. Questions were raised on whether IIMs were now just about returns on investment.

Credible or not, Peri is definitely one of the loudest and most incendiary voices. Importantly, his social-media posts drive conversations more than others.

I have noticed a pattern. If I put out a strong tweet, it becomes a news story within a few days. And people start making their own arguments

Maheshwer Peri

Data is the key, said Peri, while claiming that he has a repository of balance sheets and placement and admission numbers of most Indian institutes. “Show me any [of my] post that isn’t backed by data.

AUTHOR

Alifiya Khan

Alifiya dropped out of medical studies to study journalism. She is passionate about all things Education, a sector she would cover for The Ken. Her professional career spans 17years across organisations like Hindustan Times, DNA, MiD-Day and until recently, The Indian Express. In love with the written word, she spends her spare time reading non-fiction, writing poetry, or playing Scrabble. She can be reached at [email protected]

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