India is home to almost 19% of the world’s children. More than one-third of the country’s population, around 480 million, is below 18 years. They are the future of India. These children will determine how great and how prosperous India will be a decade from now.
There is much applause and praise by those in power and those who want to be in good books with those in power for the Finance Minister, for her 8th Union Budget, which has allocated Rs 78,572 crore for School Education and Literacy for the financial year 2025-26.
There is of course, a substantial increase in the budget allocation for higher education, from Rs 46,482.35 crore in 2024-25 to Rs 50,077.95 crore in 2025-26.
While carrying out this kind of political exercise, one should not forget the realities of the Nation and the needs and aspirations of the people of India. By favouring a few and thereby allocating funds to some selected institution does not fulfil the national obligation, nor does it auger in progress or prosperity to the Nation, but a mere euphemism. The minimum that the much-applauded National Education Policy 2020 recommends is an allotment of at least 6% of the budget for education. The 2025 budget did not reach even half that expectation and stopped at mere 2.7% of the Budget.
Incremental increases in education spending will not address key challenges.
The Union Budget 2025 presented in February increased allocations for the education sector only marginally and is unlikely to realise the ambitious goals set out in the New Education Policy 2020. The allocation of Rs 1.28 lakh crore out of a total outlay of Rs 50.65 lakh crore is 6.65% higher than the previous year. But it is merely 2.54% total budget (0.4% of the gross domestic product, as per current estimates).
The New Education Policy seeks to fundamentally restructure India’s education system. Yet, as per the Ministry of Education’s budget estimates, public spending on education (by both State and Centre) has been stagnant at 4.2%-4.6% of the gross domestic product since 2019.
The Reserve Bank of India estimates that spending on education is even lower, at 2.7% of GDP. This is well below the benchmark of 6% recommended decades ago by the Kothari Commission on Education in 1966.
Is this not a case of deception of the ‘vote less and the voice less’, when they (below 18 years of age) constitute nearly 33% percent of the country's population.
Of all the allocation in various sectors, education is what determines the future of a nation. Education has not just a ripple effect like industry, but progress will be in geometrical progression as has been witnessed. An educated person is a guarantee for an educated family, thereby having educated children and in the process, the economic progress of the individual, the family and of the community and of course the future will definitely improve creating a better India. An India of more resources including human resources and more and more opportunities for economic prosperity. The New Education Policy aims to achieve universal access to education from preschool to the secondary level by 2030
Compare this, less than 3% of Budget allotment to education to the allotment for defence which is a whopping Rs 1939001 crore that is 38.28% of the budget. More defence expenditure will only cause increased expenditure for maintenance, repair and replacement of machinery and not growth, and never prosperity. Besides, no country in the world has prevented war or border aggression by piling up arms, though politicians want it that way, because purchase of arms internationally is a thriving business and kickbacks are huge and often hidden from public scrutiny. It’s common knowledge wars and border skirmishes are created to camouflage internal struggles, unrest and governance failures or to hype up political propaganda. No doubt those who are protecting the country deserve better life, better social security and a better future but so do the farmers, and the industrial labour. But stockpiling weapons in the present-day context has only the limited utility value of appeasing the seller Nation’s political leaders or one’s own ego and self-praise. Inability to broker peaceful co-existence is a leadership failure and so is the absence of a healthy vision for the country's young and future citizens.
The political masters, through their discourses and public promises often promise a better future for the Nation, they miss out on the essential element of providing quality education to every Indian child, but they do selectively restrict quality education to the selected or favoured few.
It is often said, that to collect more tax, the tax base has to be widened or broadened, if so there is also need to widen and broad base the budget expenditures to benefit everyone especially the children, who are hoping for a better quality education and a better quality of life for themselves and their families. A broad and long drawn plan is what is expected of a true national leadership.
Luckily, Education, by the 42nd Amendment to the Constitution in 1976 was shifted to the Concurrent List, therefore the States have an equal, if not more compelling responsibility to ensure better quality of education to every child living within the State, which is only possible if proper and adequate funds are allotted and sufficient number of competent and qualified teachers are appointed at every stage. Closing down Government run schools or handing over such schools to private entrepreneurs are escapist strategies and will result in degeneration of quality
of education.
Goa is ideally situated to create excellence in the quality of education. Total number of children in schools in Goa, who are below 18 years of age, is about 3 lakh only. Suitable fund allotment to provide infrastructure as well as adequate number of teachers for the education of these children is neither a herculean nor an arduous task. Failure of the government to do so will only expose that the purpose and intention of the ruling elite is not for Goa’s future.
(The writer is a professor
of law & an education
consultant.)