Key decisions by Government of India in Education Sector

"Children must be taught how to think, not what to think." - Margaret Mead

The economy of India is growing at a fast pace. India is now the fifth-largest economy and is on the path to touching the five trillion-dollar mark. India must prepare its children and youth for newer challenges and leverage its workforce to accelerate its growth. Our education system would play the most significant role in achieving this goal. Realising the importance of building a robust future, the government of India has launched multiple initiatives to turn the nation into a global knowledge hub. The primary focus is to utilise educational institutions as stepping stones for nation-building.

In 2022, the Government of India took some decisions to boost education. Some of the aspects are:

·?????Curriculum and credit framework for undergraduate programmes: A student-centric framework incorporating a flexible choice-based credit system. It also introduces a multidisciplinary approach and multiple entry and exit options. Such a framework will facilitate students to pursue their career path by choosing the subject/ field of interest.

·?????Common University Entrance Test (CUET): a common platform and equal opportunities to candidates across the country, especially those from rural and other remote areas, and help establish better connections with the Universities.

·?????Encourage research amongst UG students: Students with a four-year undergraduate degree can directly pursue PhD programmes.

·?????Competency-based questions - 40% of questions in the CBSE Class 10 exam and 30% in Class 12 exams in 2023 will be competency-based. The questions will comprise multiple formats such as objective type, constructing response type, assertion and reasoning and case based.

The Government of India has shared their plan for Education in India in Budget 2023. The government of India has allocated INR 1,12,899.47 crore for the next fiscal year from ?1,04,277.72 crore for fiscal 2023 (an approx. increase of 8%). It is the "highest ever allocation" to the education sector and would pave the way to transform India into a "knowledge-based economy" [1]. Out of 1.12 lakh crores, INR 44 thousand crores have been allocated for Higher Education, and INR 68 thousand crores have been for School Education. Some of the key highlights of the budget are:

·?????Establishment of 100 labs for 5G services-based applications in educational institutions in collaboration with various authorities to tap employment and potential and business opportunities.

·?????Creation of a National Digital Library for children and adolescents to help improve the accessibility of quality books. Also, the states will set up physical libraries at the Panchayat level.

·?????Recruitment of teachers for the modern residential schools serving 3.5 lakh tribal students

·?????Initiation of the vision of Make AI in India and Make AI Work for India through three centres of excellence (CoE) for Artificial Intelligence in top educational institutions. Further, the establishment of CoEs in collaboration with industries to research and develop applications in agriculture, health, and sustainable cities.

·?????Launch of several courses related to coding, robotics, drones, mechatronics, IoT, 3D printing, and essential soft skills under the PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana 4.0 for skill development to prepare the youth for the global job industry.

All these initiatives give ample opportunities for Academia and Industry to synergise and collaborate to achieve the vision of making India a knowledge-based economy and becoming a global skill provider. Academia and industries should join hands to offer top-quality courses to learners, develop novel applications using the latest technology, and provide state-of-the-art infrastructure for research.?

Do you feel academia and industry can join hands to realise the vision? What measures should the Government take to initiate it? Do share your thoughts.

Sources:

[1] https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/education/budget-2023-education-gets-highest-ever-allocation-share-in-gdp-remains-stagnant-at-2-9/articleshow/97534802.cms