"There are just around five hundred government universities in India. Private universities and colleges cater to a large number of students in the country. Hence, the government should allocate funds on just not opening new IITs and IIMs but also to focus on how private institutions can be supported in building world-class institutions." 

Shaheem Rahiman, CEO, Atria University

"While quality education holds the key to inclusive growth in India, the public spending on education is at about 4.6 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) - lower than that of most developing nations. Education in India needs to be recognized as an equalizer – as a crucial instrument that can bridge the socio-economic divide in our country. Income inequality in India stems from the enormous disparity in learning outcomes after completion of education. And, to address this gap, reallocation of resources from other sectors need to be made and re-routed towards building a level-playing field for all students. Budget 2021 needs to focus on investments towards building a robust system of accountability, checks, and balances to level-up the delivery and quality of higher education. Ensuring equal opportunities for students irrespective of caste, class, gender, and region. And eventually, eliminating the need for quota-based reservations for students in the country."  

Divya Lal, Founder and Managing Director, Fliplearn

“Pandemic times have shown like never before, the transformative power of edtech on education. For a developing nation like India, with the world’s largest youth population, leverage provided by technology, for education access and quality, has been increasingly recognised and accepted. However, the prioritisation in the union budget has not kept pace. We hope all that will change in the forthcoming budget."

"The edtech industry will need higher digital infrastructure and robust knowledge protection framework to build on the in-roads it has already made in COVID times. Education's expenditure share, which has seen some incremental increase over the years, needs to now see a substantial jump so that the opportunity for the spread of technology-led education across the length and breadth of India is not lost. As a future superpower, we need to ensure inclusiveness, enhance the standard of education - both of which edtech can ensure." 

Vinay Sharma, Head of Digital Services, S Chand and Co. 

“In 2020, Edtech sector grew at a never before pace as it broke newer grounds and permeated to tier 3 and 4 towns of India and the upcoming Union Budget 2021 can solve the forefront a key challenge – the lack of access and affordability of high-speed internet as well as laptop/smartphone devices in smaller towns and villages. Government interventions that make these possible will greatly assist a larger fraction of the population to benefit from the vast and high-quality online education resources that are now increasingly available. We also expect allocation for funds to drive this digital education as it’s a critical need at the ground level."

"While many schools have adopted digital platforms, most schools have not been able to effectively implement the same primarily due to lack of digital infrastructure. Therefore any budgetary allocation that drives funds towards these two critical elements - technology upgradation and teachers training  - will offer much needed improvement in quality outcomes as it allows schools to leverage the power of digital solutions that bring high quality, personalization and focus on measurement of outcomes.”

Sparsh Garg, Founder and CEO, Educlouds 

"According to a KPMG estimate, the number of edtech startups in the country grew to 3,500 in the previous year. As per Government projections, India’s edtech expenditure could rise to $10 trillion by 2030. The ‘everything virtual’ norm set by the pandemic has ushered a new era of edtech growth and online education in India. Penetrating deeper into urban and rural India, these unique tech-enabled platforms are consistently shaping the future of education in India. To bridge the digital divide and strengthen India’s promising edtech startup ecosystem, we expect the government to provide better internet infrastructure, robust data protection systems and more tax exemptions in the upcoming Union Budget. By ensuring round-the-clock reliability of electricity supply, accessible and affordable high-speed internet, deeper penetration of cheaper connectivity devices such as notebooks, laptops, smartphones etc. to every nook and corner of the country, Government can support India in becoming the Global Hub for Digital Education.”

Hersh Shah, CEO, India Affiliate of Institute of Risk Management, UK (IRM India)

"While online education has transformed India’s education sector, many colleges and universities have experienced the toughest year in terms of enrolments/admissions. This budget is extremely crucial as the sector prepares for recovery. With the Government’s ambitious NEP launched in 2020, it’ll be good to see the categories of fund allocation including investment in technology, clarity on private financing structures for schools/colleges/universities given the liquidity and business continuity risk that many institutions face in Tier 2 and 3 cities. Furthermore, with job automation and many skills becoming redundant in this post-crisis world, higher investment in new-age skills through Skill Development will be necessary to manage unemployment."

Prof Sharad Kumar Jha, Assistant Director, ITM B-School

"The budget 2021 is going to be crucial for various segments of the economy including the Indian education ecosystem. We all know that the Indian Education System needs to be revived and the announcement of National Education Policy provides clear guidelines and recommendations for the specific education plans and its implementation. However, there is utmost need of adequate spending too in the Education Sector, the government should aim to increase its expenditure on education to 7% in coming years. The budgetary spending needs to be clearly divided among various heads like school education, higher education, infrastructure, technology etc for better implementation and surveillance. This is a crucial time for the revival of the education system if we want to have fruits from our rich demographic pattern of population.” 

Tanuja Gomes, Co-Founder & Co-CEO at Furtados School of Music

“While the onset of the pandemic has caused a lot of disruption, it has also enabled and helped us transform this space with the maximum usage of digital tools to aide students. With the given focus on education, it is imperative that the entire sector receives a higher allocation of government budgets, atleast by 10-12%. NEP Policy and Extra-curricular activities – The NEP 2020 is a brilliant step in our education field, which focusses on extracurricular and vocational learning integrated with academics. This is a huge step and will help the future generation tremendously, giving an opportunity to every child to explore their potential. Companies which are focussing on such activities should be encouraged and special tax benefits should be considered for them. The entire loan approval process for MSME’s needs to be simplified and reviewed. Last 12 months we have witnessed a huge inflow of investments, similarly we must also review the loans granted to EDtechs through government channels. Edtech sector should also be part of the benefits granted by the government to MSMEs which will enable positive impact and promote good education.”

Aditya Gupta, CEO, India Didactics Association

“Schooling, skilling, higher education and employment go hand in hand. All of it needs to come together for India to realize its vision of ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’. So, it is important that funding to education must increase deeply every year to achieve the 6% GDP as envisioned in the New Education policy."

"The pandemic has created a focus towards the importance and continuance of Education. Hybrid is the way forward and may be well-thought-out as the best way forward."

"Hence, the budget must seek ways to increase investments in technology training and deployment across verticals across geographies. Todays’ India envisions to be the Hub of Education globally, which is being discussed in the Virtual Conference TIESS – The International Education & Skill Summit, from 27-30 Jan, the budget needs to identify the global education dynamics and allocate funds accordingly. Imagination remains the key and the kind of foresight that the NEP exhibits, now must be matched with hard financial commitment. I am sure the Finance Minister would rise up to the occasion.”