While presenting the interim budget on February 1, 2024, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had stated that, “In the full budget in July, our Government will present a detailed roadmap for our pursuit of ‘Viksit Bharat’.” If India does aim to become a developed country by 2047 as per Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat, the Union Budget 2024 which will be presented on July 23 must prioritise the education of children, who are the future of the country. Read on to find out what experts from the education sector shared with us at Brainfeed about their expectations from the Union Budget 2024.
Hon’ble Finance Minister has taken a leaf out of Schools’ books: she continues to present the budget paperless and digital. This was perhaps a tip of the hat to millions of teachers who are getting well-versed with education of children now in a phygital manner enhanced with AI and social, trying to make the best of both worlds.
- Delighted to hear about quantitatively strengthening of schools and Higher-ed
- The Budget proposed theme of Viksit Bharat is revolutionary in many ways and encompasses 4 major themes: Employment, Skilling, MSMEs and focus on the Middle Class. Again, a theme which concurs with most Schools where there has been impetus on SDG (Sustainable development goals), SEL (socio-emotional learning) and 21st century skills with focus on digital with impetus on skilling and entrepreneurship.
- The Indian education system has always complained about the non-availability of quality teachers. The current impetus on recruiting a large number of teachers and creating a sustainable teachers’ training programme equipping them with multilateral skills will go a long way in improving the quality of education in Indian schools.
- I do believe that we have capabilities in the country to provide learning & development of the highest level, at par with anywhere in the world. Glad that FM spoke about skilling being one of the major focus areas.
- 20 Lakh youth are set to be upskilled at 1,000 training institutes. This is great news for progressive institutions that are contributing tremendously to skilling as well.
- There is spending in this Budget. We require that. I had said recently that it would take a brave FM to outlay 6% of GDP to education. Notably, this is the highest allocation granted to the ministry ever. Education’s outlay stands at ₹125,638 crore, , a positive step, and hopefully we’ll come close to the desired spending levels.
- Education institutes growth with engagement, research and reflection, and I’m delighted further to see the expense on research extend from 840 crore last year to proposed 1200 crore this year, a substantial 42% increase
- Private participation in research, revival of our legacy institutions such as Nalanda and Anusandhan National Research is well noted; as school operators, our expectations would be for further incentives for research on pedagogy and AI, the reality of today. Majority of the workforce would’ve gotten their education in 80s, 90s and 2000s, and might not have conditioning of the breathtaking evolution as pushed by AI. We need to upskill ourselves.
- Nationwide apprenticeship program will empower and inspire countless young people.
- Sustainability, social justice and focus on reforms are no longer buzzwords but reality that we must focus on collectively.
- I was hoping for greater collaborations of Government with private players, focus on governance, and ease of running that will be beneficial to the sector. Perhaps skilling focus is a step in the right direction with more to come. Private schools and Government need to collaborate more for sensitization and development of all stakeholders- students, parents, educators and society at large.
I am a strong believer that the future of the country is knowledge-led, technology-enabled, with more and more communication in vernacular languages. Most of the good, some of the expectations lacking, but an aspirational budget with focus on growth. Greater focus on research, focus on governance, and dream of Viksit Bharat. Overall, a 7.5/10 budget, plus brownie points for the FM for focus on upskilling!
