Online degree courses to students from weaker sections

New Delhi: A degree level full-fledged online education programme will be offered by the country's top 100 educational institutions to students belonging to deprived sections of the society and those who do not have access to higher studies, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday.

Presenting the budget in Parliament, Sitharaman said a new education policy will soon be announced and the government proposes to provide about Rs 99,300 crore for the education sector in 2020-21 and about Rs 3,000 crore for skill development.

"By tying skill development with education, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has given wings to the Skill India Mission and the overall skilling ecosystem of the country. India is a treasure trove of gifted individuals who must be skilled in order for them to realise their dreams. "The Rs 3,000 crore outlay will give an impetus to vocational education and training. Under the current plans, we are already proving skill training across 8,000 schools and institutes, with 400 hours in classes 9-10 and 500 hours in classes 11-12 for one trade. The Budget 2020 makes a provision for expanding the net to other schools as well," Union Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey said.

The finance minister also announced that a special bridge course would be designed by ministries of health and skill development and entrepreneurship in conjunction with professional bodies to bring in equivalence and improve the skillsets of teachers, nurses, paramedical staff and care-givers.

Emphasising that India should also be a preferred destination for higher education, she said under a 'Study in India' programme an IND-SAT exam is proposed in Asian and African countries for benchmarking foreign candidates who receive scholarships for studying in Indian higher education centres.