Education Budget 2023: Edtech sector welcomes new nursing colleges, teacher training initiatives

NEW DELHI: The private education sector, education technology firms, and educationists welcomed the move to setup Artifical Intelligence (AI) centres in educational institutions, teacher training programmes, and additional nursing schools in Union Budget 2023 presented by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Shantanu Rooj, CEO and founder at teamlease edtech said, “Indian education system has always complained of non-availability of quality teachers. The current impetus on recruiting a large number of teachers and creating a sustainable teachers training program equipping them with multilateral skills will go a long way in improving the quality of education in Indian schools.

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“The government must also create a performance management system where there is a hope of rising and a fear of falling for all teachers. This initiative, along with the PLI scheme, will help strengthen the Make in India initiative by creating a ready pool of trained resources. Recruiting teachers and providing them with relevant skills such that they can impart the right knowledge and skills will help in building employable youth in India,” Rooj suggested.

AI centres, tribal education

According to Jaideep Kewalramani, head of employability business and COO, TeamLease edtech, “The move to setup AI centers in top education centres is a great step forward. This must be augmented by a brain trust to share the research with the entire eco-system. A thrust to develop AI tools that work across all our vernacular languages will be a priority. Integrating Generative AI as a part of the technology stack for enhancing higher education and skill development is important.”

Nilaya Varma, CEO and co-founder, Primus Partners said, "The initiative in Health and Education especially additional nursing schools and improving quality of teaching through teachers training will have long term benefit. However, it is unlikely to immediately impact in improving quality of care as well as care facilities in rural / semi urban areas.”

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Pranay Aggarwal, Sociology faculty, IAS Gurukul commented, “While the budget will give the much needed push to the education sector, it could have done so much more. Teachers’ training is something previous governments have ignored. This budget expresses the intent to bring about innovations in pedagogy and curriculum. There is also a belated but welcome emphasis on tribal education. The National digital library will help promote reading culture in the country. Upskilling the youth in new age courses like robotics, AI and drones under PM Kaushal Vikaas Yoajna 4.0 and industry partnership will ensure greater employability.”

Teacher training, skill development

Pointing out some issues in the Union budget 2023, the teacher said, “One urgent reform the education system needs is to address the digital divide. The budget, unfortunately, doesn’t emphasize much on it. The budget speech has ignored another recurrent demand from the education sector, which is to remove or at least reduce GST on education services. I also wish that the government had allocated more funds for education. We are yet to touch the target of spending 6% of the GDP on education which the National Education Policy 2020 had envisaged.”

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Neha Bahl, Executive Director, IC3 Institute said, “This year's budget adopts a very inclusive and progressive approach with a special emphasis on capacity-building, teacher training, and youth empowerment. The focus is also on creating greater access through digitization, ICT implementation, and skill development through new-age programs and fostering industry partnerships to inculcate future readiness among youth.”

“I am particularly delighted with the impetus given to teacher training through pedagogical interventions and continuous professional development opportunities. Our teachers are indeed change-makers and nation-builders; therefore, empowering them can have a multiplier effect on generations of students,” she added.