We are glad to note the ₹99,300 crore outlay for the education sector in 2020-21 and ₹3,000 crore for skill development. This is in line with our expectations on large-scale reforms and radical innovation in the education sector. This is linked to the creation of effective bodies to regulate the current system and focus on vocational and skills development, linking to apprenticeship/internship and professional skills, through newly proposed and online education platforms. This ties back well, with the government’s intention on making India a global education hub, driving ECB and FDI in the sector. We also hope to see due attention being extended to programmes and skills linked to real-estate, construction and infrastructure. — Nimish Gupta, MD, RICS, South Asia
A progressive and developed country needs an educated workforce and for a country like India which is all set to have the largest working-age population by 2030, the need for a robust framework of education is high. The Union Budget 2020 has realised the importance of the same and announced programmes which will be beneficial to the overall growth of the education sector in the country. — Dr Pankaj Gupta President, IIHMR University, Jaipur
No country can achieve sustainable economic development without substantial investment in human capital. Education plays an important role in improving the quality of life of citizens as well as the progress of a nation. India will have the largest working-age population in the world by 2030 which is why more need to have a good education so that they can contribute positively to the growth of the country. The Union Budget 2020 addresses key gaps between skill and employment by ensuring focused efforts on increasing skill-based institutions for medical, internships for engineers in urban local bodies and apprenticeship based programmes for non-science students. Inviting FDI for the education sector can be a decent opportunity in the path of improving the quality of education. INDI-SAT will also bring in diversity in the classroom and will force institutions to move towards global offerings and expertise to meet the requirements. — Dr RL Raina, Vice-Chancellor, JK Lakshmipat University, Jaipur
Indian education is at a crucial juncture at this time as students can easily graduate from colleges but when they enter different industries, they feel quite unprepared. The Union Budget 2020-2021 has announced ₹3000 crore for skill development which will help students be more job-ready and reduce the gap between education imparted and skills required. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that urban local bodies across the country will provide internships for young engineers for a period of up to one year so that they are well versed with the requirements of the job and get the right exposure. — Dr Narendra Shyamsukha, Founder Chairman, ICA Edu Skills
The first Budget of the new decade presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman gives an outline of a new and confident India. It is a promising, proactive and progressive Budget which will make India healthy and wealthy in the coming year. India will have the largest working-age population in the world by 2030 which is why more and more people need to have a good education so that they can contribute positively to the growth of the country. The 2020 Union Budget has made big announcements in lieu with Prime Minister's Vision which will play a big role in transforming India’s educational landscape. The government has announced that ₹8000 crore will be provided for quantum technologies and applications which will help students learning about quantum computing and secure applications. To groom young students urban local bodies across the country will provide internships to young engineers for a period of up to one year. To encourage students of African and Asian countries who wish to study in India, the IND-SAT exam will be held which will help India become a global hub of education. — Rachit Jain, CEO and Founder, Youth4Work