Education Budget Expectations 2023: Focus on research, skill development and job creation

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget 2023-24 in Parliament on February 1, 2023. Various stakeholders from the education sector share what are their budget expectations for this year. Stakeholders from the technology and medical sector expect to see a boost in research and development, developing k-12 students holistically. Focus on scholarships, faculty development, building more institutes of eminence, skill development and job creation and more budgetary allocation for healthcare, modern and state-of-the-art tools and equipment.

Here is what the industry experts have to say...

Enhance quality of learning and skill development

Since education is a key development sector, we have huge expectations from the upcoming budget. It should address the core aspects of education with a view to enhance quality of learning, improve teacher professional skills, build robust infrastructure, and promote skill development. Today, education systems continue to face challenges on how to effectively support learning in the current context and overall student development in an increasingly challenging world.

In the last budget, a slew of measures were announced for the Digital DESH, Digital University initiative, One-Class-One-channel through PM eVidya initiative etc, but we need to do a lot more if India has to become a truly digital hub of the world. The country is in need of skilled personnel at different levels and this demand can be met only by training students at the school level. The foundation and vision set by the government, through NEP will be vital in achieving these objectives of an effective and inclusive education system. Overall, we hope that budget gives the much-needed boost to the education sector to cope up challenges of hybrid learning in the current context.

- Niru Agarwal, Trustee, Greenwood High International School

Prioritise funding for need-based financial aid for students

As we approach the 2023 budget, the higher education sector looks forward to a renewed commitment from the government to invest in the future of our students and institutions. With the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on the economy and society, it is more important than ever to ensure that our students have access to the resources and opportunities they need to succeed. We expect that the budget will prioritize funding for need-based financial aid, to ensure that all students have the opportunity to pursue higher education regardless of their financial circumstances. We expect the government to decrease the GST tax implications on educational needs and services.

Additionally, we call on the government to invest in the infrastructure and technology necessary to support a robust and innovative learning environment, as well as support for faculty and staff professional development. Introduction of legitimate tax benefits to further accelerate upskilling within the country should be taken into consideration and should be lowered from 18% to 5%.

Furthermore, we hope that the budget will provide funding for research and development, to support the growth of new industries and the advancement of knowledge. We also hope to see an increase in funding for programs that support diversity, equity, and inclusion, to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to succeed.

- Dr S Nagendra, Professor & Dean, Department of Management Studies (MBA), Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology, Bengaluru

Affordable health care expansion in rural areas needs to be implemented

Rural health care system in India is not very much because 80 % health care is provided by the private sector and the pvt sector is less entered in rural area. To overcome this gap of primary care, insurance and emergency services in rural areas need to be facilitated. Participation in the pvt sector is a must.

Health education is equally important. Shortage of infrastructure, transportation issues, health literacy and social health stigma are hurdles for this. Public pvt partnership, health budget allocation, GDP to increase, increase facility to health education for doctors, nurses, paramedical, to be improved.

Participation of local leaders and community to be involved. Health insurance to be implemented. Pradhan mantri health insurance has already been introduced. PMJAY is being implemented. In all, affordable health care expansion in rural areas needs to be implemented along with insurance coverage in Rural areas. Telehealth needs to be improved in rural areas by improving broadband access. Preventive health care services separately need to be introduced.

B grade or smaller cities need better coordinated and integrated healthcare systems to provide better health related policies. Health care professionals must be given better facilities. Technology should be used to educate people about different government healthcare services and schemes. Making government hospitals more resourceful will also help in strengthening small cities.

- Dr AK Gadpayle, MS, Sharda Hospital

Need to implement Vocational training

40% of India's population is in the age bracket of 18 or below. The country needs to spend a great deal on education. However, the country spends only 3% of its GDP on the education sector. Since about 1968, the education sector has expressed its need for an increase of budget to at least 6% which has still not been achieved. By increasing this budget, India can demonstrate the sense of responsibility that it feels toward the future of the country. If NEP 2020 has to be fulfilled, we will need to improve basic literacy in our country or the pre-primary, FLN in our country. And in order to do that, we would need the finest and developed infrastructure which is the utmost required and for the same, funds are needed in the higher education sector.

If vocational training is well implemented, it will have far greater outcomes in the skilling of the workforce in India in the future. Hence, the budget must take into account the fulfillment of the NEP and the requirements of the age group. Keeping in mind the large numbers that we have to reach out to and the length and the breadth of a country like India and if we have to extend our assistance to each and every child especially a girl child, alongside we should also provide incentives, scholarships to the economically weaker section as we have to do to the meritorious.

- Damayanti Bhattacharya, Principal of Jasudben ML School and Bloomingdales Pre-Primary

Emphasis on developing k-12 students holistically

The allocation towards the education sector in the Union Budget is almost double compared to the previous year and we consider it as a step that is both welcome and much overdue. It is our opinion that there must be more emphasis on developing k-12 students holistically, in a manner that facilitates them to emerge as full-fledged adults. We must prioritize educating students and even, teachers about digital literacy and make it one of the main focus of this year's education budget. There is significant development in emerging technologies with each passing year and there has never been a better time to invest and evaluate about the impact it would have on growing children. The recent chatter around ChatGPT has raised concerns about ethics, cheating and plagiarism. Today's kids are 'digital natives' and we need to invest in how they access, process, and promulgate information they gain from digital spaces in a manner that is healthy and non-obstructive to their overall well-being.

- Gusti Noria, President, The Hyderabad Public School Society

Focus on scholarships, faculty development, building more institutes of eminence

India as we all know has a very bright pool of students. In order to educate these young minds we have to make education very accessible to them. I am very hopeful that the new budget will focus on scholarships, faculty development, building more institutes of eminence, and emphasize on imparting hands on learning experience.

The National Education Policy of 2020 brought the need for a higher education budget to the forefront, recommending that atleast 6% of the economy's total GDP be invested in the future of India's Education Sector. Improving this percentage, is absolutely essential, since India, despite being the world's fastest growing economy, with a rapidly expanding information and service sector, still spends less on education compared to other developed countries such as China and The USA, as well as developing countries such as Cuba and Namibia. The need of the hour is to devote special attention to the education sector, along with huge investments and a more effective control of expenses.

The National Education Policy is based on five essential pillars, Access, Affordability, Equity, Quality and Accountability. A greater inflow of money into the education sector could strengthen all five of these fundamentals. As we are aware, India possesses the brightest and youngest pool of students in the world, and making education accessible and equitable for all these young minds should be among our first priorities.

- Jasmine Gohil, Professor & Head - Academic Affairs, Anant National University

Make health insurance policies more affordable

New health related start-ups should be supported and promoted by governments and investors which will definitely increase the health sector investment. 18% GST is on the higher side so it should be cut down to minimum percentage for making the healthcare system more affordable.

To increase medical tourism India should focus on proper coordinated infrastructure which should match the expectations of the foreigner patients. Making health insurance policies more affordable and easy implementable and educating people about it, even from school or childhood time will definitely give increase the numbers.

- Dr Shrey Kumar Srivastav, MBBS, MD (Internal Medicine), Assistant Professor Department of General medicine, Sharda hospital

Focus on infrastructure of digital learning

We expect the Finance Minister to focus on increased capital expenditure to provide adequate educational facilities and employment opportunities for youth. This union budget should focus on the following aspect: The infrastructure of digital learning should get adequate impetus in the budget in the terms of financial and other policy incentives such as tax relief and subsidies for private players who come forward to invest and contribute to this direction.

There should be provisions in the budget that encourage tech-enabled training of teachers, leading to the up-gradation of technology in education and improving the quality of education in govt. and private institutions in India. Under this budget, we expect to get tax exemption on the interest paid on personal loans and education loans.

- Rekha Kejriwal, Academic Director of the Academy of Fashion and Art (AFA)

Focus on skill development

As India embarks on its journey of becoming a global superpower, it is important for the country to leverage the upcoming peak with regards to the demographic dividend. This is why it is crucial to provide our future workforce (youth learners) who are currently in schools and colleges with pathways to financial success by strengthening the bridge between our education system and future economic opportunities.

• An increased spending towards digitizing classrooms across government schools in rural areas: Every school should be equipped with smartboards and projectors and our curriculum should further seek to integrate technology across every subject

• A special allocation for creating AR/VR labs in every school: This would allow our education to become more "hands-on" and could usher in the much-anticipated era of skills-oriented pedagogy.

- Manav Subodh- Founder of 1M1B( One Million for One Billion)- The largest organization developing and mobilizing the Future Workforce through technology

Provide digital devices at affordable prices

The nation's rebound from the Covid-19 pandemic has been a booster shot for the economy and Budget 2023 can be expected to reflect this confidence, which will translate into a positive impact on the Indian higher education system. A stronger push for digitisation, which will also benefit the Indian higher education system, is one of the government's priorities that we can anticipate in the upcoming budget. An increased budgetary allocation for tech enhancement will support Indian HEIs' plans to raise their standards of excellence and become more competitive in a world that is becoming more digital and globalised.

Having experienced the benefits of online pedagogy and how it can change the way education is delivered, Indian HEIs have increased the adoption of technology into their teaching and learning processes and upgraded their IT infrastructure. Along with this, the government may think about providing incentives to the telecom sector to invest, innovate, and improve infrastructure and internet connectivity, as well as provide digital devices at affordable prices, which will go a long way toward ensuring anywhere, anytime access to education for all.

Increasing funding for R&D is another significant way that the government can support the higher education system. Supporting HEIs to invest in research will fundamentally alter the nation's higher education system. Our institutions must invest in creating a research-oriented ecosystem that enables them to compare their performance to international standards of excellence, and the government's attention to this issue will be a key enabler. This gains significance in light of the UGC's plans to enable the international expansion of Indian educational institutions and establish foreign universities' campuses in India.

- Dr Dishan Kamdar, Vice-Chancellor, FLAME University