Page 71 - EducationWorld March 2023

Budget 2023-24 reactions

“The emphasis on education and employ- expected that in 2024, the number of Indian students
ment is progressive. To ensure India’s studying abroad will go up to 1.8 million” — Piyush
workforce is future-ready, introduction Kumar, Regional Director, South Asia and Mauritius,
of new age courses like coding, artificial IDP Education
intelligence, robotics, mechatronics, the
Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing drones “The focus on education and skilling as
etc. coupled with soft skills; will help improve the overall key growth drivers for inclusive develop-
employability of students. The Budget also addresses edu- ment is being addressed not only through
cation from a more holistic perspective, by introducing the deployment of R&D and tech but
innovative pedagogies and advanced training & research crucially through teacher recruitment and
measures for teachers” — Lt. Gen. M.D. Venkatesh, training, and increased access to books
Vice Chancellor, Manipal Academy of Higher Education and material to all corners of the coun-
try through the National Digital Library. Foundational
“We welcome the Government of India’s literacy and access to education provided through skilled
proposal to set up three ‘Centers of Excel- teachers has been highlighted as a priority in NEP 2020,
lence for Artificial Intelligence’ in top edu- for India to effectively prepare its growing young popula-
cational institutions in collaboration with tion for the future. We remain committed to partnering
India Inc with the goal to research and the government and education sector in India to enable
develop practical AI applications. While young Indians” — Alison Barrett MBE, Director India,
we would like to see the impact in agriculture, health, and British Council
sustainable cities, financial inclusion will need to be ad-
dressed too. Inclusive banking and citizen-scale financial “The focus on quality education for all is
services is where AI must also make an impact” — Dr. progressive and encouraging. I welcome
Santanu Paul, CEO and MD, TalentSprint the focus on teacher training and upskill-
ing students with Industry 4.O skills.
“With India becoming the fifth largest However, while initiatives such as a
economy in the world, it lays a robust National Digital Library and support for
foundation for future growth, allowing Eklavya Model Residential Schools are
bright and deserving students to dream big steps in the right direction to address the massive learn-
and pursue international education. In my ing loss from the pandemic, well-designed PPPs are the
opinion, Budget 2023 is focused on making need of the hour to create innovation at scale for millions
wise digital investments across all sectors, not just educa- of school-going children in India. Going forward, I look
tion, and we wholeheartedly welcome this initiative. forward to policy support in this direction” — Sumeet
However, it would have been ideal if the government Mehta, Co-founder, LEAD, India’s largest school edtech
could reduce the interest rates on education loans. It is company

intelligentsia. Yet this class has failed great historian Dr. Arnold Toynbee and transform into great civilisations.
to discharge its obligation. wrote a monumental eight-volumes However when creative minorities
Instead in all the major wrong- treatise A Study of History (one of In- transform into self-serving, “oppres-
turns taken by the political class dia’s most celebrated historian claims sive minorities” engaged in effete epi-
— adoption of inorganic, bankrupt he’s “never read him” even though a cureanism, the proletariat “secedes”
Soviet-style socialist economic de- one-volume lavishly illustrated sum- from the empire/civilisation, setting
velopment model; failure to resolve mary is available, but that’s another in motion its decline and fall.
international border disputes; impo- story). With public education being given
sition of neta-babu licence-permit- In A Study of History, the gifted short shrift in budget after budget,
quota raj; sustained trashing of wealth Dr. Toynbee explained causes of the even as grandiose plans are being
and employment generating business- decline and fall of several great and drawn up for transforming India into
men and entrepreneurs; neglect of seemingly impregnable empires and a $30 trillion economy by 2047 — the
public education and health among civilisations. centenary year of independence — In-
others — the academy, intelligentsia According to Toynbee, great civili- dia’s proletariat (also a growing num-
and commentariat have chosen to fol- sations are built by “creative minori- ber of creative wealth and jobs cre-
low rather than lead and guide myopic ties” (academics and intellectuals) ators hounded by a leftist oppressive
politicians. who devise social and other innova- minority) is gradually seceding from
Almost a century ago, the truly tions which enable countries to thrive the State. These are bad omens.

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