In a positive development for the education sector, union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman added emphasis on the new educational policy while presenting the budget for the year 2021-22 on Monday. Some prominent educationalists from Pune welcomed Sitharaman’s boost to the education sector with an announcement of Rs 50,000 crore over the next five years for the National Research Foundation (NRF). Rahul V Karad, managing trustee and executive president, MAEER’s MIT Group of institutions said, “As an educationist, I welcome the budget announced for this year by our FM Nirmala Sitharaman. The budget aims at the overall economical revival with a major thrust on infrastructure, healthcare and agriculture along with other sectors. The announcement about putting up of a central university in Leh to 750 Eklavya Model residential schools in tribal areas and 100 new Sainik schools is definitely a positive move in the right direction. The setting up of National Digital Educational Architecture (NDEAR) and the emphasis on the development of digital infrastructure of the country for the implementation of NEP 2020 will surely address the challenges institutions are facing in remote learning. This year’s budget has taken into account some of the challenges faced by the Indian education sector.” Dishan Kamdar, vice Chancellor of Pune based Flame University believes the government’s decision to allocate Rs .50,000 crore over five years will serve as a great shot in the arm for the country’s research ecosystem. “Lack of adequate funding has been a constraint for several higher education institutions and this support will enable the institutions and the faculty to produce high quality, rigorous research output. The creation of the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) as an umbrella structure having four separate bodies for standard-setting, accreditation, regulation, and funding under it will bring in synergies across higher education institutions,” he said. Vidya Yeravdekar, pro-chancellor of Symbiosis International (deemed university) and principal director, Symbiosis said, “The budget announced by the finance minister today especially for the education sector is very welcomed. The National Education Policy (NEP) rolled out last year and now the focus in the budget is aligned to this policy. The allottment of Rs 50,000 crores for the National Research Foundation is a welcome sign, as these funds will be available to universities to do research which was lacking at Indian universities.” 

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