According to the recent findings in the Annual Survey of Education report 2018, most students in India are not able to read or do basic math as expected at their level, proving the fact that the education system and learning ecosystem is in a dire need of improvement.
Stressing on the same fact, Dr Ravi Gupta, Editor-in-Chief, digitalLEARNING Magazine, shared his expectations from the Union Budget that will be tabled by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in parliament on July 5, 2019.
The Editor-in-Chief called for focus on “Ease of Doing Business” initiative by the Modi Government with respect to schools and higher education systems. There are significant regulatory hurdles in opening schools and higher education institutions in the country. The whole process can be made easier so that more and more private sector investment flows in the education sector.
Dr Gupta also called for digitalisation in the education sector stressing that the Government should focus on increased use of technology in government schools, in the upcoming budget. He also said that the Government should work on better and larger promotion of the country’s private higher education institutes at the international level. Gupta added that the move will not just create employment but also improve India’s image globally.
“I feel the Government should also come up with an incentive system for private companies to open schools especially in semi-urban and rural areas. This will further reduce Government’s expenditure on improving the education infrastructure,” added Dr Gupta who has been publishing the education magazine that talks about innovations and technological advancements in the education sector, for over 15 years now.
Dr Gupta was of the view that the Government should also encourage top foreign institutions to open their branches in India so that huge outflow of money (around Rs 44,000 crore in the USA alone in 2016-17) can be reduced. These foreign university branches in India will reduce forex outflow from India and also create quality employment in the education sector of India.
“The Government should also focus on ‘future ready’ skills and on inculcating industry-relevant skills to make youngsters ‘employable’. Other two areas that I feel need attention are physical education and extra-curricular activities for holistic development of students, along with importance of teachers’ training to improve education system,” he concluded.
