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 endangers decades of work to ensure the Right to Education
Instead of increasing allocations to strengthen an inclusive public education system, the government is paving the way for privatisation and Public Private Part Feb 03, 2021 · 07:30 am Schoolchildren, who have missed their online classes due to a lack of internet facilities, listen to pre-recorded lessons over loudspeakers, in Dandwal village in Maharashtra. | Prashant Waydande/Reuters
Nine-year-old Shaiba Parveen of Topsia, Kolkata, sat inside her ramshackle hut recently ravaged by Cyclone Amphan, waiting to go back to her school. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she told us the name of her school with an excited squeal: “Topsia Friends Society. I used to go there every day to study, meet my friends.”
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 the first post-pandemic budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the spending on education has been reduced by Rs 6,076 crores from Rs 99,300 crore in 2020 to Rs 93,224 in 2021.
Budget 2021 Highlights: Childs rights budget lowest its ever been in 10 years leaving NGOs disappointed firstpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from firstpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.