Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is presenting a full-fledged budget for the ninth consecutive time today i.e. on 1 February 2026. In this budget, the government has made many important announcements to strengthen the education sector. Special emphasis of the government has been seen especially on Ayurveda, Pharma, Design, Technical Education and student facilities. There is a clear indication in Budget 2026 that there is a preparation to directly link education with employment and development in the coming years.

A big step has been taken in the budget to promote Ayurveda education. The government has announced that 3 new Ayurveda institutes will be established in the country. Along with this, drug testing labs will also be improved to check the quality of medicines. The government believes that Ayurveda is not only the traditional medical system of India, but it can also create new opportunities for employment and research. Apart from this, opening of 3 new Ayurveda colleges has also been announced. With this, students studying Ayurveda will get better facilities and the number of doctors trained in this field will increase.

University township will change the environment of education

A big announcement of Budget 2026 is the development of 5 university townships in the country. In these townships, facilities like education, research, hostel, sports and startup will be available at one place. The aim of the government is to provide an environment to the students where, along with studies, they can also work on new ideas and innovation. Along with this, it has also been announced to open 5 new universities in the country. This will make access to higher education easier and will provide new opportunities for studies in different states.

Pharma education will get new strength

The government has also given a special place to the pharmaceutical sector in the budget. According to the budget, 3 new pharmaceutical education institutes will be opened. Special attention will be given to manufacturing, research and quality of medicines in these institutions. This will help in making India stronger in the pharma sector.

New design institute will open in eastern India

To promote design and creative education, the government has announced the opening of a new Indian Institute of Design (IIND, not IIT) in eastern India. With this, students of this area will not be forced to go to other parts of the country and will be able to get better education at the local level.

Preparation for ABGC Content Creator Lab

To enhance digital and creative skills, the government has planned to start ABGC Content Creator Lab. Under this scheme, with the help of IIT Mumbai, such labs will be established in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges of the country. In these labs, students will be able to learn skills related to digital content, gaming, animation and new technology. The Finance Minister also announced to build girls hostels in every district for higher education institutions.

Also read- Who is Nirmala Sitharaman who presented the budget? Know the caste of Finance Minister, profession and education of children

Education Loan Information:
Calculate Education Loan EMI

Union Budget 2026-27: From education to health sector, huge expectations are being expressed regarding the Union Budget 2026 to be presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 1 February. On one hand, there is a demand for increasing expenditure on health infrastructure, research and development and public health services, on the other hand, special focus is expected on quality and skill-based reforms in the field of education and higher education.

In the last financial year 2025-26, the budget allocation for health services was increased by 9.8 percent to Rs 99,858.56 crore, while in the financial year 2024-25 this amount was Rs 90,958.63 crore.

Major demands of health sector

Dr. P.R., President of IIHMR University. Sodani says that large scale investment is needed to strengthen the health sector. Under this, special attention should be given to human resources, digital transformation and strengthening infrastructure. To reduce the out-of-pocket health expenditure of the common people, a significant increase in government expenditure on public health is necessary.

He said that the capacity and skills of human resources should be strengthened by making effective use of the increased public health expenditure, so that qualified talent can be attracted to this sector. Promoting training and capacity building will accelerate better management of health services as well as research and development and digital health transformation.

Expectations of education sector

Talking about the education sector, Rs 1,28,650.05 crore was allocated for it in the financial year 2025-26, which was about 6.5 percent more than the previous year. This includes Rs 78,572 crore for school education and Rs 50,078 crore for higher education. Apart from this, Rs 500 crore was allocated for Artificial Intelligence (AI) research.

Pankaj Priya, deputy director and dean (academics), Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH), Greater Noida, said that merely addressing the lack of cognitive skills in the education sector is not enough. When the central government is taking forward the skilling agenda at the national level, then its responsibility cannot be left only to the state governments.

He said that there is an urgent need to adapt the curriculum at the higher education level to emerging technologies like Industry 4.0, Generative AI and Machine Learning. The National Education Policy 2020 also recognizes this change and aims to connect at least 50 percent of students in school and higher education with skill-based education by the year 2025.

Emphasis on quality in education is necessary

According to Pankaj Priya, the Economic Survey 2024-25 shows that the number of colleges has increased by 13.8 percent in the last eight years and the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) has increased from 23.7 percent to 28.4 percent. However, the next phase of reforms should not be limited to just increasing access, but should focus on quality of education, deep research capacity and strong employment-oriented outcomes.

He said that Budget 2026 is an important opportunity to make India’s education system globally competitive, innovation-focused and a strong base of future-ready talent. Government initiatives focused on cutting-edge technologies can be taken maximum advantage of by promoting innovation and entrepreneurial mindset.

Also read: Will there be a cut in middle class tax? Know the expectations of investors and taxpayers from Budget 2026