Budget 2026: Experts Demand Quality, Skills Over Enrollment Boom

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AuthorRiya Kapoor|Published at:
Budget 2026: Experts Demand Quality, Skills Over Enrollment Boom
Overview

Education experts are calling for the upcoming Union Budget 2026 to pivot from mere student enrollment expansion towards enhancing education quality, infrastructure, and future-ready skills. They emphasize critical public investment in human capital, digital transformation, and preparing youth for a knowledge-driven economy, citing past sector growth and current infrastructure deficits.

The push for a qualitative leap in India's education system comes as the nation prepares its fiscal roadmap for 2026. Experts are advising a strategic reorientation of budgetary allocations, shifting focus from merely expanding access to substantially improving the quality and relevance of education. They highlight the crucial need to harness India's large young population and its burgeoning higher education sector.

Strategic Budget Reorientation

India boasts the world's second-largest education system, with nearly 40 percent of its population under 25. While the previous Union Budget allocated ₹1.28 lakh crore to education, with over ₹50,000 crore for higher education, experts argue that future investment must be more targeted. Data from the Economic Survey 2024-25 confirms sector expansion, showing an 13.8 percent rise in higher education institutions and a Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) increase to 28.4 percent over eight years. However, the emphasis must now move beyond these numbers.

Enhancing Human Capital and Infrastructure

Dr. P.R. Sodani, president of IIHMR University, stresses that higher public investment is critical for building strong human capital, urging budget priorities in skill development, digital transformation, and institutional capacity. He suggests Budget 2026 could be transformative if it focuses on upgrading infrastructure, promoting digital and multilingual education, and preparing students for a knowledge-driven economy. Pankaj Priya, deputy director at BIMTECH, points out that physical infrastructure, including laboratories and hostels, has lagged behind rising enrollments. He advocates for greater budget emphasis on capacity-building, research, and employability outcomes.

Future-Ready Curricula

Priya asserts that the next phase of reforms must pivot towards quality, deep research capacity, and strong employability, not just access. He also stresses aligning academic curricula with emerging technologies like generative artificial intelligence and machine learning, in line with the National Education Policy 2020. This strategic alignment is seen as key to ensuring graduates are well-prepared for the demands of a rapidly evolving global job market.

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