How could Budget 2025 better address the key challenges of building digital infrastructure and bridging the digital divide to make online education more accessible in rural areas
A child’s potential shouldn’t be limited by geography. We need to break digital barriers by investing in scalable infrastructure. A national platform for Indian language Small Language Models (SLMs) and Large Language Models (LLMs) across eight to ten languages will make digital learning accessible to millions.
Connectivity remains a major hurdle — satellite-based internet services through partnerships with SpaceX’s Starlink or Amazon’s Kuiper can revolutionize access in the remotest villages.
Finally, a Digital Classroom initiative, co-created with state governments and corporates, can equip every school with basic tech — TVs, desktops, UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply), cameras, and mics — ensuring no child is left behind. These steps can bridge the divide, not just in education but in opportunities.
In your expert view, how important is it for the budget to allocate funds toward integrating skill-based learning, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and coding, into rural school curriculums?
We are on the brink of an era where AI could surpass human intelligence. If we don’t equip our children with AI, coding, and computational thinking from an early age, we are setting them up for obsolescence.
With 90% of our schools in rural India, they cannot be excluded from this shift. The solution is clear — embed AI, coding, and computer science into the curriculum from Class I, with a structured progression in complexity. Mathematics, the backbone of computing, must also be strengthened.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) framework provides a solid foundation to build on. If we act now, we can turn today’s rural students into tomorrow’s tech leaders. If we don’t, we risk creating a digital underclass.