The Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee’s proposal to increase the allocation to Right to Education - under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan by 21.7 per cent to Rs 25,555 crore is a welcome measure, said Fr. E Abraham S.J., director, XLRI School of Business & Human Resources, Jamshedpur.
However, a regulatory body to ensure Right to Education is fully implemented in letter and spirit is an institutional gap that has to be plugged at the earliest, he said.
The Government has also proposed 29 per cent rise in allocation for Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan to Rs 3,124 crore.
“Credit guarantee fund to ensure better flow of funds to students is also a welcome move. However, the Government must ensure that deserving students and parents are aware of such a fund. It is highly likely that there will be restricted disbursement of funds because of low levels of awareness,” he pointed out.
Though the Government has given grants to a few institutions of higher education ranging from Rs 10 - 100 crore, most students from these institutions end up joining the private sector and very few are inclined to join public sector or the government. “The Government must link grants to desired outcomes and not dole out grants without any guidelines or desired outcomes,” he added.