Before the 1970's the status of education in Uttarakhand was poor at best. Few basic schools for secondary education were available, and students had often unmanageable distances to cover in order to get to class. These distances were generally to long for girls to travel, because of safety issues and social restrictions. Those with little money had greater difficulties, because they were unable to sacrifice potential working hours.

Higher education was reserved only for the most fortunate. The only centers for higher education were located in the plains.

In 1970, a movement began to create a center for higher education. The movement however, lacked sufficient leverage, thus the people sought out Swami ji to lead the way. Helping the communities with this struggle, Swami ji was often, imprisoned during demonstrations and hunger strikes, as he posed a threat to government inactivity. These struggles led to dialogues with higher officials, including Prime Minister Indra Gandhi, who among others helped force the state and central governments to establish not one, but two Universities on the first of December 1973, located in the regions of Garhwal and Kumaon.