Indian Budget 2021: Highlights of school education allocations

In the union budget for 2021-22, it has been announced that Education Sector will get a boost with an allocation of Rs 54,873.66 crore for school education and Rs 38,325.15 crore for higher education.

The year-on-year (YoY) increase in allocation is as follows.

• Higher education: 16.5 percent

• School education: 5.1 percent

Some of major tasks to be accomplished in the school education sector in 2021-22 would be as follows.

• Conversion of over 15,000 schools into 'Exemplar Schools' to implement National Education Policy (NEP) -2020 and work as pace-setters for rest of schools

• Setting up 750 Eklavya Model Residential Schools in tribal areas (Unit cost of each school = Rs 38 crore)

• Establishment of 100 Sainik Schools in PPP mode

• Translation of policy-related information in regional languages in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 making it available on internet through National Language Translation Mission

• Enhanced investment in the revamping of Post-Matric Scheme under Central Assistance Scheme

• Launching of 'Indian Knowledge Systems' to identify and experiment with the elements of knowledge from ancient India and their plausible contributions to modern times and curricular relevance for NEP

Educational functionaries were disappointed to find that no separate allocation was announced for the NPE-2020 and no increase in the budget for Operation Digital Board (ODB) which aims to provide smartboards in all government-aided schools and higher education institutions.

Moreover, there is decrease in allocations for Mid-Day Meal Programme in Schools which attracted the children from poor families to school education and worked as a deterrent to child labour.

Also, no allocation have been announced under the Education Scheme for Madrasas and Minorities while in the previous year, Rs 310.22 crore allocated for quality improvement of Madrasa Education.

"It seems that government is shrinking its role in the mainstream education and inviting private players to play bigger role to fill the gap," commented an educator working in the NGO sector.