Budget 2022: The last two years have been very painful for the education sector in our country. The closure of schools has impacted the education of millions of students at the primary, secondary and college levels. Students and teachers have both suffered. The loss of jobs for many teachers and loss of learning for the students has been exacerbated by technological and financial uncertainties. In this context there were several expectations from the Finance Minister vis-à-vis the education sector to achieve the goals of the New Education Policy ( NEP ) of 2020.
For the Education sector what has been announced in Budget 2022:
- Allocation of funds to the Education Sector earmarked 1.04 lakh crores which is more than 11.50 % from the previous year’s allocation
Education Budget 2022 : “Continuity with clarity and inclusivity”
In 2021, the Government had reduced funds for the education sector by 6% from the previous year to a figure of Rs. 93,223 crores. To compensate for this reduction and also to move in the direction as envisaged in the NEP it was expected that the allocation should be increased by 10-12%. In the new budget the FM has earmarked 1.04 lakh crores which is more than 11.50 % from the previous year’s allocation. This is a positive development that needs to be appreciated. The increase is mostly due to the increased allocation to the school education sector.
However, higher education did not have much. The college and university levels were expected to also receive a reasonable increase.
- Digital learning through the expansion of the PM e-VIDYA initiative, proposal to launch a “digital university” and development of e-content
Bold, progressive and forward looking – Budget 2022
Though there are some signs that show the pandemic might lose its destructive capacity in the coming months, there are still many uncertainties. Better technology would play a critical role in the education of the masses and talent development in the country for the medium and long terms. We will have to adapt to the use of technology in all aspects of education-learning environment at the school, college and university levels; pedagogies and learning and teaching quality assessment. This would require a massive investment in the state of the art technology and accessibility of the same to students as well as teachers. India ranks 56th among 64 countries in the talent ranking done by IMD. If we have to move ahead in our global competitiveness it is important that high quality education be seen as an outcome of several linked activities. The Government may not be in a position to get into all the aspects of technology development and implementation. The private sector needs to be roped in to push this agenda of the Government in a big way and ensure the general agenda of talent development across all sectors. It should not be just business and profit making.
The announcements made by the FM in Budget 2022 to further digital learning through the expansion of the PM e-VIDYA initiative, proposal to launch a” digital university” and development of e-content in all Indian languages are laudatory.
