NEW DELHI, Jan 30: Initiatives such as allocating bigger spending on education and push for digitalisation were suggested by the stakeholders in the education sector in view of the upcoming budget to be presented on February 1.
The Budget should focus on imbibing technology in the classroom, said Ms Shweta Sastri, Managing Director, Canadian International School, Bangalore.
”Education is, understandably, one of the most important investments a country can make in its people and its future. Our education system needs to be self-reliant and globally competitive. This will only be possible when the emerging technology trends are imbibed into the education pattern of the country,” she said.
The government must take initiatives such as allocating bigger spending on education and push digitalisation in the education sector in the upcoming budget, she maintained.
The current budgetary allocation for education in our country is less than 3 per cent of the GDP, which is low, compared to developed countries where it usually ranges between 5 per cent and 7 per cent of the GDP.
Of the total Rs 94,853. 64 crore education budget, Rs 56, 536.63 crore was pegged for school sector and Rs 38,317.01 crore for higher education, in the last Union Budget presented in July 2019.
This increased allocation of fund will improve education and infrastrcture at government schools too which educate majority of children in India, Ms Sashtri stressed.
Infrastructure should also be revamped to improve the quality of education services, she suggested. Technology has become a crucial aspect of enabling learning and empowering teachers with the usage of multiple tools to improve teaching methodology, she stated. ”With the use of technology, learning and teaching not only become more interactive and exciting, but also become personalised to suit the needs of every individual student,” Ms Sashtri pointed out.
There is need to improve facilities in institutions through the setting up of smart classrooms, modern laboratories, research facilities and libraries which would enhance the quality of learning, Ms Shastri, Managing Director, Canadian International School, Bangalore, maintained.
”The initiative by the government like, the ‘study in India’ framework is the ‘need of the hour’ and need greater emphasis. This will help establish world-class higher education patterns and attract more foreign students to the country to be part of our education system.
”There is also greater need to push the various educational programs and teacher training across the country and equipping them with exceptional professional skills,” she stated.
Given the widespread poverty levels in India, education needs to play a critical role in bringing about a change across generations with primary public education standing out as the most important area of focus. ”While the government proposed a range of major changes for India’s education system in the last budget and laid emphasis on the importance of not only providing literacy but improving the quality of education, we expect government to continue its thrust and treat education sector holistically,” she pointed out.
Going forward, the segment expects a boost in the growth of distance education in India and balancing of the urban-rural gap in education.
”With India set to be the next global educational hub, we expect increased focus from the government so that we can lay a stronger foundation for new-age learning strategies. We need to urgently transform our education system to meet the aspirational needs of the new generation, which will ensure that India’s demographic dividend continues to remain its asset,” she summed up.
Ayush Bansal, Founder and CEO at iDreamCareer, India’s only multi-lingual, largest unbiased career counselling edtech start-up, said while there is more importance being given to skilling young people, there is an adequate need to regulate the quality of the current skilling programs in the country.
Also, a sustained focus should be given to work on guiding students towards a successful transition from education to the workforce, he said. To do this, focus should be given on integrating skilling in the school education and launching career guidance bureau at every state-level to remove the problem of interest mismatch among students and reducing the dropout rates beyond secondary education, Mr Bansal pointed out. (UNI)
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