The education budget 2022 was declared February 1 as a portion of the Union Budget 2022, and it has risen by 11.86% from last year's budget allocated for education. The significant dimensions of education budget funding, prominent schemes, and further plans for education growth are as follows:
The education budget for 2022 is Rs 1,04,278 crore -- a rise of Rs 11,054 crore from the previous year.
This year, the education experts expected an increase in the overall allocation, and the government has delivered an 11.86% increase. 
Is the allocation enough?
The National Education Policy, 2020 (NEP) recommends increasing public education investment to 6% GDP. But that target remains untouched so far. 
The spending on education following GDP was:
•    2019-20: 2.8%
•    2020-21: 3.1% 
•    2021-22: 3.1% 
To meet the 6% of GDP benchmarks, the education budget for 2022-23 should have nearly doubled the last year's budget. The Department of Primary Education and Literacy has acquired Rs 63,449.37 crore, and The Department of Higher Education has received Rs 40,810.34 crore. 
Education Budget 2022: Paramount plans for education
Here are the significant plans in the education sector for India, driving forward:

Digital education
The pandemic revealed the extensive digital divide in India, and more promising digital infrastructure was the most significant demand from the union budget this year. Millions of students were affected and the absence of access to mobiles, laptops or steady internet connectivity to continue education.
As per the education budget announcements:
•    India aims to develop a digital university to deliver world-class quality education with ISTE criteria met. The most promising government universities and institutions in the nation will collaborate to provide accessible learning for students.
•    Digital infrastructure in rural areas is to be enhanced, specifically through the announcement of the Vibrant Villages Programme. The government will provide a DTH connection to Doordarshan and other educational channels for suburbs and rural areas in the northern border regions.
•    The Bharatnet project for optical fibre network and the 5G spectrum auction will promote digital education in India.
Skill enhancement and vocational education
The education budget 2022 concentrates substantially on skill enhancement programmes and skill-based vocational training as the pandemic has affected those particular sectors the most.
•    The Skill Hub programme of the Ministry of E and MSDE aims to launch 5000 skill centres next year. ITIs are to focus on skill enhancement programmes. 
•    The Government of India will launch a Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood DESH-Stack e-portal for the youth's skilling, upskilling, and reskilling, providing API-based technology to find relevant jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities.
•    The skill sector is to reorganize its priorities to enable continuous skilling platforms, sustainability, and employability, and the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) aligned with dynamic industry requirements.
•    The budget allocation aims to launch 750 virtual labs for science and mathematics and 75 e-labs for upskilling through simulated learning environments.
E-learning in regional languages
The Covid-19 pandemic led to approximately 1.5 million schools and 1.4 million ECD/Anganwadi closure, and 247 million children could not go to school for more than a year.
As per the education budget announcements:
•    The 'One class, one TV channel' programme of PM eVIDYA is to boost from 12 to 200 TV channels for all states to deliver supplementary education in regional languages to redeem formal education loss due to the pandemic.
•    There is a focus on training teachers to create quality e-content in various languages and subjects. Any instructor or learner can access the content anywhere, anytime, anyplace and benefit. 
•    Digital teaching in all spoken languages and Learner-focused e-content in innovative teaching formats will be promoted by the government. All content developed will be simultaneously available online, TV, and radio.
Union Budget 2022: Addressing Unemployment
Unemployment issues have been a significant issue among India's youth, affecting the country's economic growth. As per the budget statements:
•    The government targets 60 lakh jobs in 14 sectors through PM Gati Shakti and the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to achieve Aatmanirbhar Bharat in the upcoming financial year.
•    Sectors of animation, gaming, and graphic design have the potential to bring an employment boom. To acknowledge the potential of this sector, an animation, visual effects, gaming, and comics (AVGC) promotion task force will also aid in experiential learning.
•    Startups will facilitate 'Drone Shakti' and Drone-As-A-Service, and promote them to create employment opportunities.
Focus on specialized learning in higher education
Specific sectors like India's agriculture and urban planning industries focus on better higher education. According to the budget announcements:
•    States are encouraged to modify the syllabi of agricultural institutes to meet the requirements of sustainable, zero-budget, organic farming, and modern agriculture methodologies.
•    Five major academic institutions in different states will become centres of excellence in urban planning and authorize endowment funds of Rs 250 crore to design urban planning based on Indian geography. 
•    AICTE is to take the lead to enhance syllabus quality and facilitate urban planning courses in different institutions.
•    In the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, foreign universities and institutions will be authorized to offer courses in subjects like Financial Management, FinTech, and STEM topics. 
Managing mental health of students
Another significant element is the announcement of the National Tele Mental Health programme in Budget 2022 to identify how the Covid-19 pandemic affected individuals' physical and mental health, especially students.
•    The National Tele Mental Health programme will consist of a network of 23 telemental health centres.
•    NIMHANS will be the primary centre, and IIIT Bangalore will provide technological support for the mental health programme
The E-Health Research Center at IIITB has worked with the National Health Mission, Govt of Karnataka, on an e-Manas software platform for mental health management. The Government of Karnataka is monitoring the DMHP programme and psychiatric rehabilitative services. Now, IIITB will help integrate eManas with telehealth services, thus providing a comprehensive platform for mental health care that can scale up nationwide.