Union Budget 2025: Push for digital learning, big promises, bigger challenges

Few countries possess the demographic dividend that India does. With over 250 million school-going children and an ever-growing higher education population, the potential for a digital learning revolution is immense. The Union Budget 2025, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, appears to recognize this, introducing a set of initiatives aimed at integrating technology into education.
From an ambitious Centre of Excellence in AI for Education to broadband connectivity for rural schools, the budget signals a policy push towards modernizing learning. Yet, while the proposals are commendable, the question remains: Is India truly prepared for a digital education overhaul, or is this another case of promising rhetoric exceeding execution?
Union Budget 2025: The Digital Learning Promises
The government’s 2025 budget focuses on five key digital education initiatives:
Centre of Excellence in AI for Education: Allocated ₹500 crore, this initiative is designed to drive AI-powered innovation in education, creating intelligent learning tools, adaptive assessments, and administrative efficiencies. If implemented effectively, this could position India as a global leader in AI-driven education.
Broadband Connectivity for Rural Schools: Leveraging BharatNet, the government aims to provide high-speed internet to all government secondary schools in rural India. The move has the potential to bridge the digital divide and provide access to high-quality digital learning resources for underprivileged students.
Digital Language Books under Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Scheme: A step towards inclusivity, the initiative seeks to make digital textbooks available in multiple Indian languages, fostering multilingual education and better comprehension for non-English speakers.
National Centres of Excellence for Skilling: Five new centres, in partnership with global institutions, aim to impart industry-relevant digital skills and online certifications, addressing the employability crisis in the Indian workforce.
Expansion of Atal Tinkering Labs: With 50,000 new Atal Tinkering Labs in government schools, this initiative seeks to enhance STEM education, coding, and problem-solving skills among young learners.
FM Sitharaman’s Digital Learning Push: A Vision Undermined by Structural Faults
Ambitious in scope and transformative in intent, a series of initiatives stand poised to reshape India’s educational framework. Yet, as with many policy endeavours, success will hinge not on intent but on execution.
The Digital Divide Endures
Expanding broadband to rural schools is a necessary but insufficient step. Device penetration remains abysmally low, with a 2021 study by the Azim Premji Foundation revealing that nearly 60% of schoolchildren lacked access to online learning due to the unavailability of devices and reliable connectivity. Without affordable hardware, digital education risks deepening, rather than bridging, existing inequalities.
Teachers Are Ill-Equipped for the Transition
Technology, however advanced, is only as effective as the educators wielding it. Many Indian teachers lack the requisite training in digital pedagogy, struggling to integrate technology into their methods. A 2023 study highlighted that a substantial proportion remain unfamiliar with ICT tools, reducing the effectiveness of digital instruction. Without large-scale upskilling programmes, digital initiatives risk becoming underutilised.
Content Remains an Achilles’ Heel
The proliferation of digital learning materials is no guarantee of quality. While multilingual textbooks are a step forward, curriculum-aligned, engaging, and pedagogically sound content remains in short supply, particularly for marginalised communities. A fragmented approach to digital content creation has led to inconsistencies in both accessibility and effectiveness.
Infrastructure Gaps Extend Beyond Connectivity
High-speed internet is only one part of the equation. Many rural schools still face erratic power supply, inadequate device maintenance, and a lack of cybersecurity protocols—critical issues that remain largely unaddressed. Without robust infrastructure, digital learning cannot be sustained at scale.
The Absence of Public-Private Synergy
Unlike China or the United States, where public-private collaborations have accelerated digital education, India’s approach remains insular. Despite the dominance of EdTech firms such as Byju’s and Unacademy in the private sector, government partnerships with these players remain limited. A more concerted effort to leverage private sector innovation could drive efficiency, but for now, the gap between policy intent and execution remains stark.
Bridging the Gaps: What India Must Do to Realise Its Digital Learning Ambitions
Budgetary allocations alone will not transform India’s education system. To truly harness the power of digital learning, the government must pair investment with structural reforms and strategic interventions.
Expand Device Accessibility
Internet connectivity is of little use without access to hardware. A targeted programme to provide free or subsidised tablets and laptops to students from economically weaker backgrounds is essential. Without such measures, digital education risks becoming an exclusive privilege rather than a democratising force.
Equip Teachers for the Digital Age
Educators, not algorithms, remain at the heart of learning. Large-scale, continuous professional development initiatives must focus on digital pedagogy, ensuring that teachers are not merely given technology but are also trained to use it effectively.
Leverage Public-Private Partnerships
India’s EdTech sector is thriving, yet its role in public education remains peripheral. The government must tap into this expertise, collaborating with private firms to develop high-quality digital content and ensure its seamless integration into public school curricula.
Monitor, Measure, and Adapt
A digital ecosystem allows for real-time learning analytics, yet India has yet to exploit this advantage fully. AI-driven systems should track student progress, enabling policymakers and educators to refine digital learning strategies dynamically rather than relying on outdated evaluation methods.
Strengthen the Digital Ecosystem Beyond Connectivity
Reliable internet alone does not ensure sustainable digital learning. A robust ecosystem requires uninterrupted power supply, device maintenance infrastructure, and stringent cybersecurity protocols—areas that demand urgent policy focus.
A Strategic Imperative
India’s digital education vision holds promise, but ambition must be matched by execution. Without these structural reforms, the risk remains that technology will widen, rather than narrow, the learning divide.
Education Budget 2025: A Step Forward, But Far From a Digital Learning Revolution
The Union Budget 2025 lays a crucial foundation for India’s digital learning ambitions, but it falls short of a transformational revolution. Without addressing the digital divide, teacher training gaps, and infrastructural shortcomings, these well-intentioned initiatives risk becoming another set of under-implemented policies.
For India to truly emerge as a global leader in digital education, policymakers must move beyond big-ticket announcements and focus on execution, inclusion, and impact-driven strategies. Otherwise, the promise of a tech-driven educational future will remain just that—a promise, not a reality.