Education Budget 2023: Schools, universities hail digital library, labs for apps, PMKVY 4.0

NEW DELHI: Schools and universities welcomed and praised introduction of 100 labs for developing apps using 5G, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 4.0, digital library, teacher training programmes, and focus on skilling of students and youth in Union budget 2023 announced by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Hari Shankar Shyam, Professor, Management, Sharda University said, “As expected, the government has given a boost to skill development among youths by opening an integrated online platform for upskilling, this will be the game changer and will have a significant impact on the economy. Apart from skill development, the government has focused a lot on training and research by opening a centre for excellence of AI and labs for 5G. I am certain this will help a lot with entrepreneurship and many youngsters will come with their startup’s.”

Education budget 2023 live updates.

According to Mridul Dharwal, Professor of Economics, Sharda University, budget 2023 focusses on:

• Skill development : Set up of 30 skill India international centres across states
• Upliftment of tribal students: 740 Residential schools
• Research in Artificial Intelligence: 3 Centres of excellence to be established in education institutions in partnership with industry
• Agri startups: Provision of Agriculture Accelerator Fund for young entrepreneurs.
• Availability of learning resources to all through the set up of the National Digital Library.

Kulneet Suri, senior director of IMS Noida and an alumni of Harvard University (HKS) commented, “The budget-2023 seems to meet the hopes and aspirations of the common man, and we should be able to see a better economy. However a lot needs to be done for the Higher Education Sector in terms of creating support for Research and Development, applied and peripheral curriculum reforms, better access to education for the weaker sections, additional support for research and development, and encouragement of private sector involvement. If these expectations are met, the quality of education in India will be significantly strengthened and will help in better-equipping students for the rapidly evolving job markets.”

“The budget talks about grants for Research and development, however, a greater push is required to create an ecosystem for innovative practices and R&D to sustain and strengthen crisis response and resilience. Encouraging the start-ups in agritech in rural areas-food security will be boost food security issues and also help tackle the climate change,” she added.

100 labs for apps using 5G, PMKVY 4.0

Neelima Kamrah Principal of KIIT World School Gurgaon said, “In this budget according to me, the best feature is teachers' training will be re-envisioned through innovative pedagogy, curriculum transaction, continuous professional development dipstick survey, and ICT implementation which is in need of time. The second feature which is most important for our future generation is 100 labs for developing apps using 5G services. These labs will cover among others, apps like Smart Classrooms, Precision Farming, and Intelligent & Transports System. The concept of a national digital library for children to facilitate quality books is of par importance. This will help in improving the accessibility of quality books across various locations, languages, and devices.”

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Gopal Karunakaran, CEO, Shiv Nadar School shared, "I welcome the launch of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 4.0 in the 2023 budget. This scheme, which will focus on equipping the youth with cutting-edge skills in fields such as AI, robotics, and 3D printing, is a welcome step towards preparing our students for the demands of the 21st-century global marketplace. The emphasis on developing soft skills and launching 30 international centers will create numerous opportunities for our students to gain valuable experience and increase their competitiveness in the international arena.”

DIET, digital library

Shiv Nadar School as an institution is committed to the mission of continuous teacher training, and “we are delighted that our vision aligns with the budget as District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) will be developed as "vibrant institutes of excellence". It's part of the school's strategic vision to give away books and opportunities to learn about all important celebrations, whether it's rewards, performances, or celebrations of getting great grades or festivals. We are delighted that a National Digital Library for children and adolescents will be set up to facilitate the availability of quality books across geographies, languages, genres and levels, and device-agnostic accessibility. We look forward to seeing the positive impact of the different initiatives on our education system in the years to come,” he added.

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“The Union Budget 2023 has focused on the importance of digital education which is the need of the hour. The emphasis on a national digital library for children will go a long way in developing digital skills among students. The focus on smart classrooms with the establishment of labs for development of apps is also a welcome step as it will re-energise technology development, which is the mainstay of industry and government policy now,” said Shweta Sastri, Managing Director, Canadian International School, Bangalore.

“Setting up more tribal residential schools and making available books in regional languages is inclusive and will bring marginalised sections and regions of society into the educational mainstream. Teacher training is also a good measure as we need to prepare them in new digital skills that have become essential in pedagogical innovation. However, there could have been more attention to the expansion of scholarship and other financial aid programs for students from economically weaker sections of society and strengthening of vocational training programs to equip students with industry-relevant skills. Overall, the budget has managed some progressive measures for education and has kept the interest of the under-privileged students in mind,” she further said.