The Union Budget 2022 announced today was a hit and miss for the education sector. While it has finally addressed and recognized the learning loss the pandemic has created, the need to develop the digital infrastructure of the country was not adequately focused on the budget.
The economically disadvantaged students especially in rural areas have lost essential years of education and the introduction of supplementary teachers was highly necessary. Supplementary education can help bridge the gap to a large extent.
The increase of ‘One Class One TV Channel’ from 12 to 200 TV Channels to provide supplementary education in regional languages for classes 1-12 is a welcome move but it will not be enough. It is important that we adapt our education system, pedagogies, and assessments according to the changing times. Upskilling is the need of the hour.
Thus, the launch of the Digital DESH e-portal for skilling, upskilling, and reskilling will be key to adapting to the shifting dynamics of our present. Setting up virtual labs and skilling e-labs will be valuable in developing critical thinking amongst students.
Access to high-quality e-content can help enhance the quality of education received by students. Making this accessible in regional languages additionally is a positive step towards a wholesome education.
The development of a digital university to provide access to students for world-class quality education with ISTE Standards will be beneficial in the long run by making education available for a wider audience through the power of the internet. However, the much-needed increase in budget allotment for the education sector was missed. Further constructive measures towards digitization and resuming physical classes are needed.
Chairperson, KiiT International School
. Mona Lisa Bal graduated in Political Science with Honors from
Calcutta University and post-graduated from Utkal University. She
is also a Postgraduate in Business Administration from KiiT
University. She did her Doctorate in “Effective Learning in a Joyful
Environment”, culminating into the publication of a pioneering book
“Transformation in the Pedagogy of Education in India”.
She intends to take her passion for primary education forward by making an insightful foray into the
Higher Education Sector where she has already contributed twenty-nine articles in internationally
reputed educational journals like IOSR, IJARSE, British Journal of Education & World Journal of
Educational Research. She is also pursuing her D.Litt. on “Social Inclusion and Educational Policy: A
Study of KISS Odisha” from Utkal University. A collection of her best research article has just been
published as a book titled “An Insight into India’s Education Policy”.
She is presently the Chairperson of KiiT International School. She is the guiding force behind the
Vedic Memory Lab, is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country for empowering students to enhance
learning with the best amalgam of traditional and modern pedagogical practices for holistic learning.
Her spirit of compassion resonates in the unique and proactive inclusive education policy of the
school. Under her stewardship, the school has created a pool of trained teachers for special children,
to give them the best opportunity to join mainstream learning with a meaningful, stress-free
transition.
She was recently conferred with Mahatma Gandhi leadership award from the NRI welfare society in
the House of Commons of Parliament in London. She also received the “Emerging Leader” award at
Leadership Excellence Award 2019, Thailand an initiative by Meccademia Education Group.
Besides, she is proactively engaged with KISS, a School for 25,000 tribal students and mentors
selected tribal students for achieving the civil services. It is under her leadership that KiiT
International School has achieved all-round excellence and is ranked among the top ten Schools of
India. Several international awards and MOUs with organizations for academic excellence have been achieved under her tutelage.
She was recently conferred with Mahatma Gandhi leadership award from the NRI welfare society in
the House of Commons of Parliament in London. She also received the “Emerging Leader” award at
Leadership Excellence Award 2019, Thailand an initiative by Meccademia Education Group.
Besides, she is proactively engaged with KISS, a School for 25,000 tribal students and mentors
selected tribal students for achieving the civil services. It is under her leadership that KiiT
International School has achieved all-round excellence and is ranked among the top ten Schools of
India. Several international awards and MOUs with organizations for academic excellence have been achieved under her tutelage.
