Budget 2022 Expectations: 'Help E-Learning startups to be part of educational governing bodies like AICTE, UGC'

The Union Budget 2022-23 is likely to be presented by the Union Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, 2022. It has to be remembered that in the previous budget, the main focus of the government was on health and rural infrastructure development.

This year, it is expected that the government can make many important announcements to strengthen the economy and empower the common man. Furthermore, the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has raised concerns amid the economic recovery in the economy.

According to KPMG reports, India has gained the status of the second-largest market for e-learning next to the US and the sector has grown to $1.96 billion in 2021. The government has also set up the National Digital Educational Architecture (NDEAR) to not only support the teaching-learning process but also propel educational planning, governance, and administration process, said Bhavesh Goswami, Founder & CEO, CloudThat while sharing his expectations on the Union Budget 2022 for the e-learning sector.

"Undoubtedly, the government initiatives are laudable as it has taken major strides in building a strong e-learning ecosystem. Additionally, I think in the upcoming Union Budget Government should encourage universities and other educational institutes to integrate new-age skills in their curriculum and also help meritorious E-Learning startups to be a part of educational governing bodies like AICTE and UGC," he said.

Moreover, ED-Tech startups, which are forerunners in disseminating skills along with conceptual knowledge, need financial support from the government budget in the form of longer duration tax exemptions and funding support to thrive in the market, he further added.

Finally, the government should announce programs to foster better Internet connectivity infrastructure across the nation that ensures last-mile connectivity, access to affordable 5G devices, and importantly help E-learning players with robust data protection laws, he concluded.

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