Battered by the two-year-long COVID-19 shutdown and the digital disruption, India's education sector has received a 11% hike in the 2022 Union Budget this year. One of the biggest takeaways from Budget 2022 is the focus on digital-enabled education, including the expansion of the ‘One classroom, one channel' programme, the establishment of a Digital University, 750 virtual labs for science and mathematics, and the DESH-Stack e-portal for skilling.
While stress on digital education is in line with the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the education budget continues to hover around 3% of the GDP, which is well below the target of 6% stated by the NEP 2020.
Experts also worry about the continuing digital divide in India. Arguing that the focus on digital learning has exacerbated the existing inequities in society, Srijita Majumder of the RTE Forum says, "The digital divide further deepens when it comes to girls' access to education. In such a situation, the reiteration of digital education in FM's speech showed a lack of priority to bridge the gender divide. "Arguing that underfunding of the public education system will adversely impact the education of girls, Majumder says, "The National Scheme for Incentive to Girls has been allocated no budget, while the Gender Inclusion Fund has received no mention."
Raju Kendre, Founder and CEO of Eklavya Movement, while terming the ‘One classroom, one channel' a positive step, says that the government must ensure that the economically backward districts like Nuapada, Gadchiroli, and Bastar get good quality digital infrastructure. He, however, adds that the reduction in scholarships and grant funds in the 2022 Budget will negatively impact marginalised communities. "The government should promote more national and international scholarships-taking into consideration marginalised or underrepresented communities," suggests Kendre, adding that the ministry must also regulate the private education sector in India.
In the following 10 points, this article brings to you the hard numbers from the education budget this year:
- The Education Budget crossed the Rs 1 lakh crore mark for the first time. The last time the education budget came close to the Rs 1 lakh crore-mark was in 2020 – Rs 99,311.52 crore.
- The education sector has received Rs 1,04,278 crore, a 11% hike from Budget Estimates of 2021-22, when Rs 93,224 crore was allocated. However, the Revised Estimates for the 2021-22 Budget reduced the education budget by over Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 88,002 crore.
- The allocation to the education sector is just 2.6% of the total budget expenditure this year – same as in the year 2020. This is an increase of about 0.15% from 2021.
- The department of higher education has been earmarked for Rs 40,828.35 crore, an increase of 6.6% compared to last year. Moreover, the allocation came down by Rs 2,319.08 crore to Rs 36,031.57 in the Revised Estimates for 2021-22.
- The department of school education and literacy has seen a 13.51% jump in this year's allocation, rising from Rs 54,873.66 crore in the 2021 Budget to Rs 63,449.37 crore in this year's Budget.
- The central scholarship/fellowship schemes for the marginalised sections administered by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment have seen a major cut this year. The allocations for such schemes have declined from Rs 1,395 crore in the 2021 Budget to Rs 969.5 crore in this year's Budget, a 30.53% decrease.
- The Maulana Azad Education Foundation, which is funded by the Minority Affairs Ministry and promotes education among educationally backward minorities, has seen a massive 99% cut in its budget, from Rs 90 crore in 2021 to just Rs 0.01 crore this year.
- The flagship ‘Samagra Siksha Abhiyan', which subsumes the erstwhile schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE), has received Rs 37,383.36 crore, which is a 20% hike from Rs 31,050.16 in the 2021-22 Budget.
- PM POSHAN – the rechristened mid-day meal scheme – has been allocated Rs 10,233.75 crore, which incidentally is the same as the Revised Estimates (2021-22) for the national mid-day meal scheme.
- The World Bank-aided 'STARS' scheme, which aims to improve school education, has received Rs 550 crore this year. This is a 13.4% increase from Rs. 485 crore in the 2021 Budget.
