THE FUNDING DEFICIT
There is a view that at last the government has realized the importance of education and is channeling huge amounts of money into the sector. This is far from the truth. The latest notes that the combined spending on education by the central and state governments is projected at just short of 3% of the gross domestic product (GDP) for 2010-11. It is about 11% of all government spending. This spend is nothing spectacular — way back in 1991-92, education spending had inched up to 3.8% of GDP and over 13% of public spending.
What this means is that despite the high growth trajectory of the Indian economy, essential problems like providing quality education for all are not receiving adequate resources. Not only does this restrict the opportunity of education, it also affects quality.
With people thirsting for better education, there is only one way this plays out — higher costs for better education. As a recent NSSO study revealed, the average cost for general education (not technical) has increased by 176% in rural areas and 204% in urban areas between 1995-96 and 2007-08. This increase has the net effect of preventing large sections of people from joining the educational mainstream.
There is a view that at last the government has realized the importance of education and is channeling huge amounts of money into the sector. This is far from the truth. The latest notes that the combined spending on education by the central and state governments is projected at just short of 3% of the gross domestic product (GDP) for 2010-11. It is about 11% of all government spending. This spend is nothing spectacular — way back in 1991-92, education spending had inched up to 3.8% of GDP and over 13% of public spending.
What this means is that despite the high growth trajectory of the Indian economy, essential problems like providing quality education for all are not receiving adequate resources. Not only does this restrict the opportunity of education, it also affects quality.
With people thirsting for better education, there is only one way this plays out — higher costs for better education. As a recent NSSO study revealed, the average cost for general education (not technical) has increased by 176% in rural areas and 204% in urban areas between 1995-96 and 2007-08. This increase has the net effect of preventing large sections of people from joining the educational mainstream.
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