Budget 2022 - Dawn of Digital Education in India - Government moves to e-VIDYA

The government's decision to push e-VIDYA in the digital learning sector will be a positive development for the education industry.

The Union Budget for the year 2022-23 was presented in Parliament today by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The budget is focused on strengthening the digital economy and enabling every Indian to benefit from it. In her speech, the finance minister said that the government's decision to invest in e-VIDYA will be a boon to the education sector.

The government aims to strengthen digital learning with e-VIDYA, which stands for 'Electronics-Vidya' or electronics and education. The initiative will be implemented in two phases: Phase I seeks to expand internet connectivity from schools/colleges to homes of students and teachers; while Phase II envisages use of digital technologies in teaching and learning.

e-VIDYA is expected to benefit over 20 crore students and 50 lakh teachers across the country. The initiative will also help bridge the rural-urban divide, with a special focus on improving access to quality education in rural areas. Additionally, it will promote creativity and innovation among students, making them future-ready.

The budget also talks about PM eVIDYA programme, which will integrate one-lakh higher education institutions on a digital platform to provide access to quality educational content across the country. This is expected to benefit over 36 crore students and teachers alike.

The digital university offers students access to high-quality education and a personalised learning experience. It will be built on a networked hub-spoke model, with the hub having cutting-edge ICT expertise. This will allow for a multi-language approach and innovative use of ICT formats.

The government is working to enhance opportunities for the youth by linking and expanding the scope of various portals, including Udyam, e-Shram, NCS, and ASEEM. These portals will provide G2C, B2C, and B2B services with live, organic datasets. Credit facilitation, skills development, and job recruitment will all be offered as part of these services. In addition, the government will aim to formalize the economy and expand entrepreneurial possibilities for everyone. In addition, the government is launching the Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood – The DESH-Stack e-portal. This portal will offer on-line instruction so users can skill up, reskill, or upskill. It will also offer API-based skill certifications.

Additionally, the government plans to urge states to change agricultural university curricula so that they better fit the needs of modern, low-cost, and organic farming techniques. This will help promote modern-day agriculture and ensure that the nation has a robust education system.

These are some of the tangible changes the government is planning to get started with this move to e-Vidya. Stay tuned to stay updated on changes in the Education sector in India.