Despite pandemic, allocation for education down from 3.8% to 2.27%: RTE Forum meet

The right to education is linked to right to life, a constitutional obligation. The Covid-19 pandemic and consequent government policies, however, have led to a steady violation of this right for children belonging to the marginalised community. The Union budget 2021 has only made things worse. This was the crux of discussions in a webinar organised by the Right to Education (RTE) Forum, in which over 300 activists participants.
Ambarish Rai, national convener, RTE Forum, said, the Union budget does not do justice to children, and despite the ravages of the pandemic, there was poor allocation for education. In fact, this year’s allocation on education is nearly 6.1 per cent lower than that of the previous year.
Only Rs 93,324 crore has been allocated this year as compared to Rs 99,312 crore allocated in the previous financial year, Rai said, adding, it is shocking that the government is not providing sufficient budget to undo the adverse effects of the pandemic and ensure every child returns to school.
Furthermore, Rai asserted, the girls have been disproportionately impacted in the pandemic, which has made them vulnerable to early marriages, child labour, trafficking and violence. Yet, they have been completely neglected in the budget.
The National Scheme for Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education has witnessed severe budget cuts from Rs 110 crore last year to a merely Rs 1 crore this year, Rai stated, regretting, the demand for adequate public spending for the implementation of the RTE Act and its extension to 3-18 years has again been ignored.
Prof Muchkund Dubey, former foreign secretary, currently president, Council for Social Development, New Delhi, giving a historical overview of the evolution of the RTE movement, said that governments all through have displayed similar attitudes towards the education sector.
The Kothari Commission’s recommendation that 6% of GDP be allocated towards the sector has become a statement that is repeated by every important committee like a ritual. It has not fructified in any measure, Dubey said, adding, the only time there was an effort to even calculate the cost of universalising school education was under the Deve Gowda-led United Front government, which set up the Tapas Majumdar committee. The costs worked out then, between Rs 55,000 crore and Rs 72,000, were of immense magnitude, but thereafter this was brushed under the carpet.

With the pandemic causing great damage to the schooling sector, there was expectation that the budget would attempt to compensate it. A new education policy was announced last year. Yet, said Dr Protiva Kundu of the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA), the expectation has been belied.
It’s not only about Rs 6,000 crore budget reduction (6.1% decrease). What is alarming is the steadily declining share of the education sector in the overall Union budget in the last few years. In 2015-16, the percentage allocation for education in budget was 3.8%. It has been reduced in 2021-22 to 2.27%, one of the lowest in recent years, she said.
Worse, the Union Budget has made no reference to the damages caused to the education sector due to the pandemic, said to Prof Govinda, former vice chancellor of the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA).
There is enough data suggesting massive drop-out. The RTE Forum has also collected data that show how child labour, child marriage and child abuse have increased on account of the pandemic. How can the Government of India remain so blind to ground reality and distress that education has gone through one year?, wondered Prof Govinda. This year’s budget talks about digital architecture; however, that does not improve the situation in primary schools.
Prof Praveen Jha from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) said, Covid-19 has impacted the livelihood of 70-80% of people, and due to school closures, children have been left out of the purview of education. This is deeply distressing.
Dr. Sukanya Bose, faculty, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP), said, the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan has created a structure aimed at reaching down to the cluster level. However, the Abhiyan’s funding has been reduced. The special training centre under for out-of-school children under the scheme needs heavy investment to bring out of school children back to schools.

Comments

When Pakistanis whispered: ‘end military rule’ — A Moscow memoir

During the recent anti-terror operation inside Pakistan by the Government of India, called Operation Sindoor — a name some feminists consider patently patriarchal, even though it’s officially described as a tribute to the wives of the 26 husbands killed in the terrorist strike — I was reminded of my Moscow stint, which lasted for seven long years, from 1986 to 1993.

Revisiting Gijubhai: Pioneer of child-centric education and the caste debate

It was Krishna Kumar, the well-known educationist, who I believe first introduced me to the name — Gijubhai Badheka (1885–1939). Hailing from Bhavnagar, known as the cultural capital of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, Gijubhai, Kumar told me during my student days, made significant contributions to the field of pedagogy — something that hasn't received much attention from India's education mandarins. At that time, Kumar was my tutorial teacher at Kirorimal College, Delhi University.

Tracking a lost link: Soviet-era legacy of Gujarati translator Atul Sawani

The other day, I received a message from a well-known activist, Raju Dipti, who runs an NGO called Jeevan Teerth in Koba village, near Gujarat’s capital, Gandhinagar. He was seeking the contact information of Atul Sawani, a translator of Russian books—mainly political and economic—into Gujarati for Progress Publishers during the Soviet era. He wanted to collect and hand over scanned soft copies, or if possible, hard copies, of Soviet books translated into Gujarati to Arvind Gupta, who currently lives in Pune and is undertaking the herculean task of collecting and making public soft copies of Soviet books that are no longer available in the market, both in English and Indian languages.

A conman, a demolition man: How 'prominent' scribes are defending Pritish Nandy

How to defend Pritish Nandy? That’s the big question some of his so-called fans seem to ponder, especially amidst sharp criticism of his alleged insensitivity during his journalistic career. One such incident involved the theft and publication of the birth certificate of Masaba Gupta, daughter of actor Neena Gupta, in the Illustrated Weekly of India, which Nandy was editing at the time. He reportedly did this to uncover the identity of Masaba’s father.

A sector under siege? War and real estate: Navigating uncertainty in India's expanding market

I was a little surprised when I received an email alert from a top real estate consultant, Anarock Group , titled "Exploring War’s Effects on Indian Real Estate—When Conflict Meets Concrete," authored by its regional director and head of research, Dr. Prashant Thakur. I had thought that the business would wholeheartedly support what is considered a strong response to the dastardly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Operation Sindoor.

Adani Group a key player in Indo-Israel defence cooperation: Tel Aviv daily

Said to be one of the most influential Israeli dailies, "Haaretz" (literally: News of the Land) has identified the Adani Group—known to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi—as one of the key Indian business houses engaged in defence cooperation with Israel. Pointing out that India supplied the Israeli military with Hermes 900 drones, the daily reported that this advanced aerial vehicle came off “the production line in a factory set up in Hyderabad, as part of the cooperation between the Israeli Elbit and India's Adani Group.”

Environmental concern? Global NGO leads campaign urging banks to cut ties with Odisha steel project

A decade after the withdrawal of the South Korean multinational POSCO from Odisha following large-scale protests, questions remain about whether India-based JSW Steel, which took over the project, can successfully revive the 13.2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) steel plant and coal-fired power plant. POSCO initiated the project in 2005 but exited in 2017 due to sustained local opposition.

Despite Hindutva hold claim, 18% Hindus in US don't want to be identified with Hinduism!

Scanning through news items on the Google News app on my mobile — which is what I do almost every morning — I came across a story published on India.com, which I found somewhat misleading. The headline said, "Muslim population drops significantly in THIS country as over 25% Muslims leave Islam due to…, the country is…"

Beyond Indus water treaty suspension: A 'nationalist' push despite harsh climate realities

The suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) appears to have pushed the middle classes, at least in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, Gujarat, further towards what the powers-that-be would consider—a "positive" direction. As usual, during my morning walk, I tried talking with a neighbour about what impact it would have. Ignoring what is widely considered a "security lapse," this person, who had just returned after buying milk, compared the Modi move with Trump.

Search This Blog