Primary Education Central to Upcoming Budget

Via livemint.com

Ever since the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan was launched in 2001, the central government’s expenditure on primary education has increased significantly. With the passage of the Right to Education Act in August of last year, this trend will continue and numbers are expected to shoot up.

“We are looking at a huge expenditure – at least a doubling or trebling of the current funding,” says Anit Mukherjee, a fellow at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy. “The highest estimate I have seen is a Cape Committee Report that says 70,000 crores per year or 4.36 lakh crore over 6 yrs for the implementation of the Right to Education Act.

With primary education being the focal point for the upcoming budget, secondary education is likely to take a backseat. A large concern is that the batch of children coming out of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the government’s flagship primary school program, who are at the age to enroll in secondary school may be unable to do so.

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