Vivek Sunder, CEO at Cuemath says, “With a nationwide suspension of schools since the COVID-19 pandemic, a high learning loss amongst children across grades has been observed in the past two years. Keeping this in mind, the finance minister has presented a forward-looking Budget that keeps digital as the core theme in the proposed initiatives for the Education sector. With rising EdTech tools and platforms, strengthening the digital ecosystem is a promising step towards the future of education in India. To mitigate the learning loss due to school closures, the FM has proposed building supplementary teaching resources for students while also upskilling teachers in digital tools which is especially important to facilitate better learning outcomes. The expansion of PM e-vidya scheme with over 200 channels covering multiple regional languages under ‘One Class-One Channel’ is an innovative initiative that will help bridge the existing education divide in Tier 2 and 3 cities. The Budget rightly focuses on content in regional languages which will help students in rural and semi-urban areas associate better with what they are being taught and ensure that they learn with an understanding. Further, there is a direct link between students’ academic performance and their mental health. The introduction of a national TV mental health program can help improve students’ emotional intelligence while also reducing anxiety and helping them manage study-related stress more effectively.”