The Union Budget 2021-2022 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, 2021, reclines on 6 pillars: Health and Wellbeing; Physical & Financial Capital, and Infrastructure; Inclusive Development for Aspirational India; Reinvigorating Human Capital; Innovation and R&D; and Minimum Government and Maximum Governance. Human Capital is one of the major pillars of this year’s budget.
On the school education and literacy front, the Budget proposes to strengthen more than 15 thousand schools throughout the country for implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) and also expected from these schools to mentor other schools in the region. It also proposes to start 100 new Sainik Schools in the partnership with NGOs/ private schools and states.
In the Union Budget 2021-22, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman set aside Rs 93,224.31-crore towards education, or around Rs 6,087 crore less than the budget estimate for 2020-21.
Experts say, this 6% reduction from Rs 99,311 crore in 2020-21, which is the lowest in three years, may have an adverse effect on school education which is already struggling due the pandemic and ensuing lockdown. This reduction is especially telling as the ministry of education will start implementing the new National Education Policy (NEP) from this year, which advocates increasing government expenditure on education.
The NEP roll-out requires massive investments, with the school education department telling the finance commission that it alone needs Rs 1.14-trillion for a five-year period.
Budget 2021: Education sector faces 6.13% cut, lowest in 3 years
The pandemic has disrupted the education of many students across the country and a huge budget cut is expected to severely affect the education sector further.
By Sruthi VibhavariandSreshta Ladegaam| Updated: 3rd February 2021 6:13 pm IST (Photo: Mohammad Hussain)
2021’s union budget presented by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, in the context of an already wailing economy hit by the COVID-19 induced slowdown, generated a mere lukewarm response as revival became the only focus and growth, a far-fetched catch.
The budget failed to provide an incentive to the education sector, which along with others, was hard-hit with the onset of the pandemic. The sector saw a massive 6.13 per cent cut in its budgetary allocation, the lowest in three years.
In her budget speech, Sitharaman proposed 15,000 schools be converted to “exemplar schools” in the next fiscal and added that 100 Sainik schools will be established.
Union Budget 2021: Inadequate allocation for skilling, digital learning a concern
Despite the government’s stress on NEP, a 6.1 percent drop in total allocation for the Ministry of Education is considered baffling for the sector’s premier stakeholders February 03, 2021 / 01:21 PM IST
At a time when the government is planning to formally begin the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, with specific emphasis on upskilling and digital learning, the education sector was expecting a big increase in budgetary allocation this year, as compared to the previous budget.
Instead, what has come is a dampener. There is visible disappointment in the sector since the 6.1 percent drop in total allocation for the Ministry of Education at Rs 93,224 crore compared to Budget 2020, was announced. In the revised estimate of 2020-21, this stood at 9.5 percent higher.