We expected a larger focus on education for school-going children. India has almost 250 million children in that age group but very few have access to quality education since it is limited to certain pockets of India. Improving and upgrading our higher education institutes is also required. It was very encouraging when the recently released National Education Policy spoke about adaptive assessments in schools so that children learn at their own pace. It encouraged the use of technology to personalise education so that children learn better. Unfortunately, this wasn't mentioned in the Budget, and we hope that this doesn't just remain on paper.
— Zishaan Hayath, CEO & Founder, Toppr
The new approach of Gandhi-pedia extracted from Budget 2019, allows allocation of Rs 400 crore for quality education which is going to enable more number of Indian educational institutions to be featured on international rankings. Besides this, the Study In India scheme will make our nation a captivating destination for foreign students to study here. This will make a way for growth in the educational sector and it will be culturally significant too. Such kind of promotional measures from Budget is great in featuring the economy of India.
— Saurabh Pandey Senior Faculty, Shankar Academy of Art, New Delhi
We fervently hope that the National Education Policy which is in the works would be finalised very soon so that the essential improvements in school and college level education are also taken up on an urgent basis. This would address the serious problem of lack of employability skills, which is a big concern of employers and would definitely help the growth prospects of the Indian economy. It is very heartening to note the increased focus to push research by setting up the National Research Foundation. The allocation of Rs 400 crore to provide impetus to higher education is a positive move too.
— Manek Daruvala, Founder and Director, TIME
This Budget is guided by the mission to strengthen the education sector especially the establishment of the National Research Foundation which will definitely help in creating the right ecosystem for R&D in the country. It was great to see the Government finally taking notice of industry-relevant skills like AI, IoT, Big Data and reforms in the higher education sector. A humble yet notable announcement was the Study in India programme, which holds the potential to put India on the world map. However, we still need a series of fundamental structural reforms — which I hope will be addressed in the near future.
— Amol Arora, MD - SHEMROCK & SHEMFORD Group of Schools
A robust education system forms the bedrock of a strong and progressive nation. The Government’s initiative in bringing in the New National Education Policy in the near future is a welcome step. There is need for better Governance framework within the education sector and the Government’s announcements like bringing reforms in the Higher Education Regulatory Arms to promote greater autonomy and focus on better academic outcomes and the allotment of Rs 400 crore for world class institutions are steps in the right direction to build a robust education system; and we look forward to the legislation to set up Higher Education Commission of India (HECI). However, this right intent of the government can truly be attained if we also have long-term strategy and organisational structure in place. The Government’s decision to promote skill training and sports awareness would definitely help in holistic development of the youth
— Fr P Christie SJ, Director, XLRI, Xavier School of Management
The focus on a new National Education Policy, efforts to increase Government funding, emphasis on research, skilling and digital technologies are the levers that will surely help drive India’s growth as one of the leading economies in future. We look forward to achieve the collective digital dream.
—Dr Sanjay Gupta, VC, World University of Design
The Budget has proposed significant changes. Apart from focusing on improving research and higher education via the National Research Foundation, it has promoted play-based early childhood education and high-quality teacher training via the new National Education Policy. The Government has also proposed to increase efforts in skills development of our youth by incorporating new technologies in education such as artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, and new learning strategies such as virtual realities and robotics. In an admirable move, the National Sports Education Board for the development of skilled sportsmen is to be set up under Khelo India project, so as to promote enthusiasm in sports as an important part of the development of today’s learners.
—Beas DevRalhan, Co-founder & CEO, Next Education India Pvt Ltd
The proposed National Research Foundation should enable India to lay more emphasis on the quality and volume of research in emerging areas. We can see an increased focus on start ups and MSMEs with a number of initiatives that may trigger economic growth and employment generation.
—Dr Aseem Chauhan, Chairman and Chancellor of Amity University