Fr E Abraham SJ, Director, XLRI-Xavier School of Management
We welcome the education sector-related budget announcements. Setting up more Eklavya schools for tribal children, allocating funds for migration from blackboards to digital boards and treating education holistically are steps in the right direction and will help school-going students in rural and urban India in the long-run, especially as we move towards a digital economy.
Also, the decision to allocate ₹1 lakh crore over four years for an infrastructural upgrade in educational institutions will give impetus to research and development activities in the realm of higher education.
Ashwin Damera, Executive Director, Emeritus Institute of Management
The announcement that technology will be the biggest driver in improving the quality of education is a welcome move and we believe it will provide an impetus to ed-tech players to partner with the government.
The allocation of ₹1 lakh crore towards revitalisation and upgradation of the education sector, listing out all the new educational and training institutes that the government aims to introduce and the move to promote learning-based outcomes and research, are steps in the right direction to advance the quality of education and the quality of our manpower.
Sanjay Padode, Secretary, CDE, IFIM Institutions
The move to expunge segmentation and treat education holistically is a great step. There is a dire need to provide students with quality education to ensure a successful future. The 2018 budget seems promising.
Although the quality of education is still a concern, the implementation of the Institutes of Eminence is set to fast-track the sector on to a smoother and more skilled road.
Following the re-skilling movement, the country is set to employ 50 lakh youth, with the government willing to share the cost of training. This works as an added advantage to the education sector.
Ambarish Datta, MD and CEO, BSE Institute
The announcement by the Finance Minister to increase digital intensity in education is a welcome step. Today’s global economy and high-speed broadband infrastructure demand a workforce that can keep pace with unprecedented technological advances. It is critical to get students ready by inculcating the use of technology at the school level.
This will allow us to provide more flexibility and personalisation to the individual student’s learning ability, learning style and pace. We can now deploy education content — online lessons, learning games, collaborative tools — that will be more intuitive, more personalised and more effective.
With real-time assessments, we can help teachers identify how children learn, where they need improvement and which learning strategies suit them the best. This creates opportunities to personalise each student’s coursework, to match their learning style, fill skills gaps and even help them enjoy school more.
We must have a blueprint in place to guide schools in the adoption of technology to ensure that they adopt technology and use it in a transformative manner.
Utpal Ghosh, CEO and President, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies - Dehradun
I would like to congratulate the Finance Minister on presenting a budget that has a strong focus on emerging technologies and the education sector. Machine learning, artificial intelligence, robotics, big data, and quantum communication are going to drive future jobs and, hence, a national programme catering to these disciplines is welcome.
The district-wise strategy to improve the quality of education and achieve standard learning outcomes based on the results of the National Achievement Survey is a path-breaking announcement. Usually, one gets to read about such initiatives in education policies and not in budget speeches.
New medical colleges, planning and architecture schools and a special railway university are also steps in the right direction. Overall, I am confident that the initiatives announced for the education sector will prove immensely beneficial for school- and college- going students.
Prashant Bhalla, President, Manav Rachna Educational Institutions
Congratulating the government on the budget, we appreciate the focus towards improving the quality of education and intensifying Digital India. Aiming to go from the blackboard to digital board schools by 2022 will advance teaching and learning methodologies for teachers and students.
We believe that the announcement of ₹1 lakh crore to revitalise and upgrade the education system will be a game changer towards increasing digital penetration, which will shift the country from a manufacturing base to a research base.
C Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor, OP Jindal University
To rejuvenate the infrastructure of educational institutions, the Finance Minister announced many initiatives. One of the major initiatives — the Revitalising of Infrastructure and Systems in Education by 2022 with a total investment of 1 lakh crore in the next four years, should be lauded as it definitely portrays the importance of education. With the emphasis on digitisation of the sector, the benefits will reach the needy students.
It is heartening to see the concerted efforts being taken to introduce new autonomous schools of planning and architecture. We also appreciate the government’s concern towards Institute of Eminence.