The Hindu Business Line : No great marks

The education sector as a whole has got 34 per cent higher allocation in the Budget, getting Rs 32,352 crore, including around Rs 5,000 crore for women and child welfare. In effect elementary, secondary and higher education put together get Rs 27,500 crore compared with Rs 21,000 crore last year; an increase of Rs 6,500 core. Incidentally, this is the amount the Finance Minster will raise from the 1 percentage point increase in the Education Cess. So the education sector does not get any real increase in budgetary allocation.

Secondary education gets Rs 3,800 crore against Rs 1,900 crore last year. Higher education, interestingly, gets Rs 4,400 crore compared with Rs 1,700 crore last year; a 150 per cent increase. Both these measures are welcome.

Elementary education gets Rs 19,350 crore (Rs.17,100 crore). But almost all the increase is absorbed by Mid-Day Meal scheme, with the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) getting less - Rs 10,670 crore compared with Rs 11,000 crore last year! It appears the Government has made up its mind to move the SSA to 50:50 sharing between Central and State, contrary to strong recommendations from the HRD Ministry and the State governments to continue with the 75:25 pattern of funding over the Eleventh Plan.

This raises the fear that the SSA will be severely impacted, with State governments failing to come up with their share. While the better-managed States, which are already doing well on providing quality education to children, will manage, the backward States will slip further.

(The author is Head - Advocacy — Azim Premji Foundation.)