Union Budget 2026: Here's what Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has proposed for the education sector

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presents her ninth consecutive Budget on Sunday. PIC/X

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Union Budget 2026 on Saturday, proposed the setting up of a girls' hostel in every district to improve access to education for female students, particularly those from rural and underserved areas.

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To strengthen industry-academia collaboration, she also proposed establishing five university townships or academic zones next to major industrial hubs.

The Finance Minister further announced the setting up of 50,000 Atal Tinkering Labs in government schools over the next five years to promote innovation, scientific temper and hands-on learning among students.

Previously, Sitaraman had proposed the ‘Bhartiya Bhasha Pustak' scheme, under which digitised textbooks in Indian languages were made available for primary and secondary school students to improve learning outcomes and access to quality educational material. The minister also noted the Centre's 2025 boost to medical education, where 10,000 new undergraduate and postgraduate seats in government medical colleges and hospitals were announced. This is part of a broader plan to add 75,000 medical seats over the next five years.