In a bid to make India’s students future-ready, the Union Budget rightly emphasises on the need to use technology to solve concerns around India’s educational inequity, many of which have been exacerbated by pandemic-induced school shutdowns.

The Finance Minister announced the creation of the ‘one class-one TV channel’ programme under the PM eVIDYA scheme which will be expanded from 12 to 200 TV channels. She outlined her vision of this content helping students access supplementary education in regional languages for classes 1-12.

This announcement solves multiple problems. First, it acknowledges that school shutdowns have hindered students’ ability to access learning material and resolves this concern by using a mass communication tool.

Second, the low-cost nature of this intervention along with its deep penetration in the remote parts of the country ensures that those who may not have access to technology are also able to find study material.

Third, the focus on regional languages ties up with the government’s existing focus on foundational literacy and its importance in improving learning outcomes which the government is also trying to remedy through the NIPUN programme.

The frugality of this intervention makes it cost-effective while also ensuring wide coverage throughout the country. From an infrastructure perspective, this initiative will build on the material offered under the SWAYAM PRABHA scheme of using satellite television to offer study material. While the pivot to using edtech for learning is necessary, it is imperative to account for those who may not be able to afford tech and the best way of doing so is to build a model that also makes effective use of traditional methods of communication.

This announcement is also a reflection of the government’s keen interest in building effective learning content that can also be transmitted through digital channels such as mobile phones and the internet. It is with this intent that the Minister declared the setting up of a competitive mechanism for development of quality e-content by the teachers.

The thrust on teacher training and the discourse around empowering them with the right training reflects that the government is not thinking of education in terms of hardware alone. The sustained build-up of teacher training must not lose momentum and no matter what is the mode of delivering knowledge

Digital university

In keeping with the times, the policy to create a digital university deserves applause. Given the two-pronged goals of offering quality education under the National Education Policy 2020 and the focus on building GDP growth over the next 25 years, this move allows the government to allow students to explore the intertwined areas of skill and knowledge. Globally, the MOOC model has found success and by steering this to the next level through the digital university which will offer a personalised learning experience to students, we will be creating an egalitarian space for learning that can be accessed by all.

Using different formats and ICT tools, once again, contributes towards creating a low-cost solution that can reach a large number of students at any point in time.

The suggestion to build this university through a hub-spoke model wherein an institution with cutting-edge ICT tools will act as a hub and offer expertise to smaller institutions. The existing group of the country’s best public universities will offer collaboration to higher education institutions in smaller cities and create an amplified network for knowledge dissemination.

This ties with the urgent goals of decentralisation and infrastructure building wherein those who are not able to migrate to better cities for greener pastures are not left behind. This thrust on online training is not just for learning but also skill development. The creation for a Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood or the DESH-Stack e-portal to help citizens find opportunities for skilling based on their current position in the executive hierarchy reflects the government’s intent to help each citizen find opportunities of growth through better use of online tools.

Despite the focus one all things digital, the Budget recognises that the fundamental unit that drives learning in the country is the classroom and the pandemic has severely affected the students’ ability to access the opportunities provided by classroom learning. It is no surprise then that in the almost 12 per cent increase in allocation to education from the previous year’s Budget, the bigger chunk has been allocated to the Department of School Education and Literacy. Out of 2022’s Budget allocation of ₹1,04,278 crore for the education sector, ₹63,449.37 crore has been earmarked for school education.

Further, the emphasis on creating critical thinking skills and to encourage creativity in science teaching, 750 virtual labs in science and maths as well as 75 skilling e-labs for simulated learning environments are scheduled to be set up this year. This emphasis on creating labs is necessary to ensure that more students can prepare for STEM careers. Teachers, students and infrastructure are the three prongs of creating a sturdy education system that can prepare citizens for skills and careers of the future and the Union Budget successfully covers all these bases.

The writer is former CEO, HCL Technologies and Founder Chairman, Sampark Foundation