WHAT THE GOVERNMENT SAID

Responses to questions in Parliament reveal the latest available statistics on education, scholarships, employment and also progress on policy implementation.

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Large swathes of teaching posts lie vacant across institutions; four Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) seek to start training teachers; five fashion design institutions are being discussed and several scholarships have seen their funds and number of beneficiaries cut. Beyond the ministry of education, an entire range of ministries and departments are connected with education health and family welfare, social justice and empowerment, science and technology, women and child development, even textiles, and home. Here's what the different ministries said in response to questions raised in Parliament about funds, recruitment, scholarships, and more.

NMMSS scholarship numbers halved over five years

The number of National Means-cum-Merit Scholarships awarded has dropped from 4,29,955 in 2017-18 to 2,06,794 in 2021-22 - a drop of 51.9 percent. The NMMSS scholarship is meant to support poor but meritorious children through secondary school and prevent their dropping out at Class 8, which marks the end of elementary education. According to government data, the annual dropout rate at secondary level (Classes 9, 10) stands at 14 percent. Over just a year, from 2017-18 to 2018-19, the number of scholarships given out dropped 34 percent.

Less than 50% of HEFA loan amounts disbursed