The Shadow Education SIG successfully hosted an engaging online talk on December 8th, bringing together 19 participants from across the globe to explore new insights into the growing field of shadow education. The session focused on the underexamined role of elite independent consultants in India and how their moral narratives shape inequalities in global university admissions.

The speaker, Swati Puri, a Ph.D. Candidate from Graduate School of Education, Harvard University,  presented findings based on interviews and analyses of marketing materials from high-end consultancies. The talk highlighted how these consultants craft identities built on claims of serving “diverse” clients, delivering superior guidance, and maintaining ethical standards. At the same time, markers of “premium” status, such as high fees, bespoke services, and international credentials, help legitimize a system that remains largely inaccessible to the majority of Indian students.

Participants engaged actively in the discussion, raising questions about the implications for equity, the possibility of regulating the sector, and the role emerging technologies like AI may play in reducing information asymmetry.

The event concluded with positive feedback, noting the talk’s timely relevance and its contribution to critical conversations about global education, social mobility, and the privatization of admissions support.

This session is part of an ongoing series of talks on shadow education research by Shadow Education SIG at the Comparative Education Research Centre (CERC) at the Faculty of Education, the University of Hong Kong.