THE GREAT DIGITISATION DRIVE CONTINUES

Digitisation is at the forefront of the Union Budget for the education sector. The allocation of Rs 1.04 lakh crore, an 11.86 per cent increase from the previous year, is the highest funding given to the education sector till date

- Vasudha Mukherjee

THE 2021-22 Budget allocation for the education sector had been among the lowest in the last three years, being slashed by nearly Rs 6,000 crore with school education taking the lowest hit. While 2021-22 Budget allocation for the education sector was Rs 93,000 crore, the Revised Estimates showed the expenditure declined to Rs 88,002 crore.

In Budget 2022, for the first time, education expenditure was set to cross Rs 1 trillion, with the government set to spend Rs 104,278 crore in the coming fiscal. Of the total budget, Rs 63,449.37 crore was allocated for schools, compared to Rs 54,873.66 crore last year, and Rs 40,828.35 crore for higher education, compared to Rs 38,350.65 crore last year.

The allocation for the Pradhan Matri Poshan Shakti Nirman, or the Midday Meal Scheme until last year, dropped from Rs 11,500 crore to Rs 10,234 crore this year. Meanwhile, the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, the central government’s flagship programme for universal education retained Rs 37,383.36 crore, an increase from last year’s allocation of Rs 31,050.16 crore.

The budgetary allocation for the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) increased by Rs 10 crore over last year. Allocation for teacher training and adult education declined from Rs 250 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 127 crore in 2022-23.