With Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman scheduled to present the Union Budget 2026-27 on February 1, 2026, at 11 AM, prominent voices from India’s education and skilling ecosystem are calling for focused investments in career and academic guidance, robust student outcome frameworks for international education, globally benchmarked assessments, and workplace-ready skills validation to support India’s ambition of becoming a global education hub and talent powerhouse.
As India aims to attract over one million international students by 2047 and align with the NITI Aayog roadmap for quality, governance, and global collaboration, experts emphasize shifting from policy announcements to execution: strengthening school-level counselling, industry-integrated learning, interoperable quality assurance, language proficiency assessments, and employer-aligned skills validation to boost employability, retention of talent, and international credibility.
Mr. Ganesh Kohli, Founder, IC3 Movement:
“India’s ambition to emerge as a global education destination will be shaped not only by physical expansion or international collaborations, but by how effectively students and families are supported to navigate choice within an increasingly complex education ecosystem. Across Indian and international boards, there is a clear shift toward skills-based learning, flexible pathways, and competency-driven assessment, reflecting a national move beyond exam-centric outcomes. This direction is further reinforced by NITI Aayog’s emphasis on academic quality, deeper global collaboration, research integration, and institutional readiness. As transnational education models evolve and student pathways become more interconnected, the ability to interpret choice and make informed decisions becomes central to student success. To translate these reforms into meaningful outcomes, career and academic guidance must be recognised as core educational infrastructure rather than an optional service. Budget 2026 presents a timely opportunity to strengthen counselling capacity at the school level, ensuring students are equipped to understand flexibility early, align learning with aspiration, and progress with confidence. A globally credible education system ultimately rests on students who understand their pathways and move through them with clarity, confidence, and purpose.”
Mr. Aritra Ghosal, Founder and CEO, OneStep Global:
“As India moves toward its goal of becoming a global higher education hub, Budget 2026 must prioritise the systems that turn student interest into lasting outcomes. Attracting international students is only the first step; what truly matters is whether institutions can deliver recognised qualifications, research exposure and credible career pathways at scale. International credentials do not create value on their own unless they are supported by strong industry linkages, employer recognition and on-ground student success frameworks. The NITI Aayog roadmap rightly emphasises quality and governance. What India now needs are robust recruitment, conversion and academic delivery mechanisms that give students confidence that studying in India leads to meaningful academic and professional returns.”
Tripti Maheshwari, Co-Founder & Director, Student Circus:
“As India moves toward its ambition of hosting over one million international students by 2047, Budget 2026 becomes a decisive moment to shift from policy intent to on-ground delivery. The NITI Aayog roadmap makes it clear that growth without quality will not build a sustainable global reputation, and this must be reflected in how funding and incentives are designed. Investment should focus on globally benchmarked curricula, strong research ecosystems and transparent quality assurance across institutions. With foreign universities expected to expand their presence in India, success will ultimately be judged by student outcomes rather than the number of campuses created. International students increasingly choose destinations based on employability, industry linkages and post-study career prospects. Budgetary support that encourages industry-integrated learning, international faculty collaboration and outcome-linked funding can significantly strengthen India’s credibility as a competitive, value-driven study destination.”
Omar Chihane, Global General Manager, TOEFL, ETS:
“As India looks ahead to the Union Budget 2026–27, the focus must shift from intent to execution in building a globally competitive education and skills ecosystem. Over the past few years, the foundations for internationalisation and workforce readiness have been laid; the next step is ensuring scale, quality, and outcomes. Priority should be given to embedding globally benchmarked language proficiency and skills assessments across secondary and higher education, so students are internationally prepared well before graduation. Equally important is investing in transparent, credible assessment and testing infrastructure that supports mobility, employability, and trust in Indian talent worldwide. The Budget also presents an opportunity to strengthen India’s position as both a source and destination for global talent. Targeted funding for merit-based scholarships, joint research pathways, and international faculty and student exchange programmes can help retain knowledge, drive innovation, and deepen global collaboration. With sustained public–private partnerships and outcome-linked investments, Budget 2026 can play a defining role in positioning India not just as a talent supplier, but as a global education and assessment hub.”
Pushkar Saran, Executive Director – Southeast Asia and South Asia, Institutional Products, TOEIC, ETS:
“India’s skilling challenge today is not about scale, but about workplace readiness and credibility. As labour market signals clearly show, the fastest-growing roles across AI, technology, healthcare, GCCs and global services increasingly require professionals who can communicate clearly, collaborate across borders and function in hybrid, AI-enabled workplaces. Yet a large proportion of job-seekers continue to feel unprepared for these real-world demands, despite having formal qualifications. With India sitting at a unique demographic and geographic advantage, supplying talent both within the country and to global labour markets, workplace communication, particularly in English, has become a decisive employability factor. Budget 2026 presents a critical opportunity to strengthen India’s skilling architecture by moving beyond training volumes to standardised, job-relevant validation of workplace skills, aligned with employer expectations globally. Without addressing this skills-validation gap, India risks under-leveraging its talent potential at a time when global demand for Indian professionals is rising.”
These expert perspectives converge on a clear agenda for the Union Budget 2026: invest in career guidance as educational infrastructure, prioritise student outcomes and employability in international education, embed globally credible assessments, and align skilling with real-world workplace demands to position India as a premier destination for talent development and global competitiveness.
Last Updated on: Tuesday, January 27, 2026 10:45 am by News Vent Team | Published by: News Vent Team on Tuesday, January 27, 2026 10:45 am | News Categories: Education, News
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