Summary
A whopping Rs. 1.12 lakh cr has been allotted for the education sector
Several academicians and people in the education fraternity appreciated the focus made by the Finance Minister on the education sector
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the much-awaited union budget 2023-24 yesterday, and several reactions have surfaced since, especially in the Education Sector. A whopping Rs. 1.12 lakh cr has been allotted for the education sector, the highest-ever fund granted to the ministry in the education field. Last year the allocated amount was 1,04,279 crore.
Speaking about the union budget allocation made to the education sector, Dr Nalin Mehta, President of EDGE Metaversity said, “The government’s decision to increase the Education Budget by over 13% to over Rs 1.12 lakh crore is a welcome move.”
“The focus on the New Education Policy, skilling and the move to create a national digital library for children down to the panchayat level reflects a broader positive focus on India’s youth bulge,” he added.
Dr Miniya Chatterji, Founding Director of Anant School for Climate Action expressed her first reaction regarding the key announcements made around education and skilling during the budget session, “Green growth and youth power are two of the 7 priority focuses of Union Budget 2023. Capital for energy transition through gap funding and promotion of circular economy under the Gowardhan Scheme can be adequately tapped through climate education for youth and professionals who can drive the force towards energy transition of the economy and supplement the goal to reach net zero by 2070.”
“We have been supporting companies to become more sustainable and the Green credit program under the Environment Protection Act will be a huge encouragement for them. Green jobs are the future, we need more professionals who are equipped and up to date with the required skill set.”
Ashish Jhalani, President of International Markets at Square Panda welcomed the emphasis on education. "Learning loss is the new post covid priority for India. We are delighted to note that after addressing the vaccination imperative of the pandemic, the Government is now addressing the learning loss caused during the pandemic.
“All the announcements,
- The 'National Digital Library for Children and Adolescents' to facilitate books and learning materials from all genres
- Encouraging students to learn English and regional languages in partnership with NGOs to improve their understanding of culture and regional concepts.
- Training 38000 teachers for the Eklavya schools, and strengthening the PM Shri schools.
are strong steps to bridge the gap caused due to the pandemic,” concluded Mr Jhalani.
A country is nothing without its youth, and having a budget which focuses on job creation and youth upliftment in this economy is a gain. Mr Manikanth Challa, CEO & Founder of Workruit shares the same opinion when it comes to jobs. "Budget 2023 aims to fulfil youth aspirations, job creation, and macroeconomic stability. From an economic standpoint, this budget is focused on job creation and youth upliftment.”
“What is also motivating is the announcement of the National Digital Library and three AI centres of excellence to enable 'Make AI for India' and 'Make AI work for India,' which will encourage youth from diverse backgrounds to learn comprehensively. The government's increased emphasis on developing e-content in all Indian languages and launching a "digital university" will benefit the country's literacy rate", he added.
Dr Anunaya Chaubey, provost of Anant National University, said "The Union Budget 2023 looks very encouraging to me. The few things that appeal to me as an academician are the announcement of the three centres of excellence in Artificial Intelligence to be set up in top educational institutions in partnership with leading industry players”
“This will set a precedence and foster an environment for interdisciplinary research, developing cutting-edge applications and scalable problem solutions in the areas of health, agriculture and sustainable cities.”
“For a new-age design university like ours, this seems to be a very exciting time as this offers immense possibilities for our students and faculty,” he added.
“Another bit that makes me hopeful and is also the need of the hour is the focus on the ‘green growth’ strategy. The priority of adopting green fuel, energy, and building practices to reduce carbon intensity and create new green job opportunities not only drives us towards a better tomorrow but offers unprecedented possibilities for students, professionals and entrepreneurs. Sustainability and climate action are clear focus areas for all our programmes - design, built environment, architecture and climate action. It is motivating to see the focus of the government and industry too", he concluded.
Last updated on 03 Feb 2023
