Union Budget 2025 receives positive cheer from educationists and edupreneurs

The budget was focused on growth, sustainability, and fiscal discipline, further aiming to align with the projection of India’s economy growing from 6.3% to 6.8% in the financial year 2026
Educationists and edupreneurs
Educationists and edupreneurs(Pic: EdexLive Desk)
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Today, Saturday, February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman read out the Union Budget 2025 in the parliament. The budget involved many key aspects such as schemes for the middle class, women, and youth, no income tax up to Rs 12 lakh, increasing medical education seats, and was focused on MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises), entrepreneurs, innovation, research, and development.

A few major key takeaways for the education industry were:

- The 10,000 fellowships in science and technology under the Prime Minister's Research Fellowship (PMRF) for the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institute of Science (IISc)

- Digital books in Indian languages for schools and higher education

- New Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in AI (artificial intelligence) for education, agriculture, health, sustainability and others.

- Expansion of Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs)

Let's explore how the educational institutions and ed-techs react to the Union Budget 2025.

Prof Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, said, "Today's budget has many great announcements, specifically for youth and children in the area of education. It gives me immense happiness and excitement that all these projects have been announced today, when we implement those, just can't wait to see what great benefits it will bring for the country."

"Today, India needs entrepreneurs; we need to nourish innovation. In this direction, it is a wonderful announcement made," he said.

Further, he stressed that the Bharat Net project, ATAL Tinkering Labs, the expansion of IITs, and 10,000 fellowships under PMRF in higher education are a few magnificent implementations.

Remarking that the Union Budget 2025 will introduce significant initiatives for the education sector, Dr Anunaya Chaubey, Provost, Anant National University, said, "Establishing five National Centres of Excellence for Skilling will empower the youth with industry-relevant skills, preparing them for global opportunities. Adding broadband connectivity in all government secondary schools will bridge the digital divide and enhance learning outcomes. The creation of the Centre of Excellence for AI in education is a commendable step forward."

Sharing similar thoughts, Shweta Sastri, Managing Director, Canadian International School, Bengaluru, said, "The increased infrastructure funding and allocation of additional seats in IITs and medical institutes will further strengthen STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, providing greater opportunities for students and ensuring access to world-class institutions for a larger pool of talented youth."

Niru Agarwal, Managing Trustee, Greenwood High International School, Bengaluru said, "As an educationist, it is deeply reassuring to see the budget's increased focus aimed at revamping our education system. The government’s focus on providing nutritional support to more than 8 crore children and digitising school books is a fundamental step in promoting better health and academic performance and enabling holistic education in India.”

Appreciating the budget, Sujatha Kshirsagar, President of Career Launcher, a platform for MBA (Master of Business Administration), Law, CUET (Common University Entrance Test), IPM (Integrated Programme in Management), BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration) and others, said, "Strengthening AI adoption and technological innovation in education will empower students to compete on an international stage, making them better prepared for global career opportunities and competitive exams. We applaud the government’s commitment to education-driven globalisation, equipping learners with the expertise needed to thrive in an interconnected world while reinforcing India’s role as a leader in digital and AI-driven education.”

Anant Bengani, Co-Founder & Director of Zell Education, an online platform for finance and accounting, said, "The Union Budget 2025-26 presents a transformative vision for financial education and technology integration. These initiatives align perfectly with our mission of delivering cutting-edge financial education."

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