The Budget has highlighted technology as a key driver in the education sector. The efforts made by the government will give impetus to tech-based educational reforms and boost digital learning and MOOCs to reach out to more students, thereby providing access to quality education.
A focused attempt to leverage research in new-age technologies such as Internet of Things, robotics, artificial intelligence, and Big Data, and the launch of the PM’s Research Fellow Scheme will encourage industry-relevant research. This will aid students to compete on a global level and to face challenges posed by new technology. Leading B-schools in India have already taken the cue of increasing digitisation and have introduced programmes based on business analytics and machine learning.
The government has rightly taken note of refining the quality of education and will look at improvising the education infrastructure in the coming years. It is important for stakeholders in higher education to enable students to adapt to the innovation taking place.
Emphasis on initiatives such as Digital India, Start-Up India and Make In India is needed to reap the benefits of our dynamic nation.
(The author is Group Director, SP Mandali's Prin LN Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research.)