Page 63 - EW March 2025

tion – an estimated 52 shared by 45,000 colleges
percent of India’s 260 and 1,100 universities, they
million in-school chil- are too small to make signifi-
dren are in government cant impact. In this connec-
schools — as in her pre- tion, it’s pertinent to bear in
vious seven budgets, the mind that 80-90 percent of
long-tenured Dr. Sithara- allocation made for educa-
man has made a nominal tion is swallowed by revenue
budgetary increase for de- expenditure — administra-
veloping public education tion expenses and salaries
— from Rs.1.20 lakh crore and pension, leaving little for
in 2024-25 to Rs.1.28 lakh capital expenditure.
crore in 2025-26. Among In the circumstances,
the most prominent: an there is no escaping the reali-
undisclosed amount for ty that a determined resource
the country’s 1.6 mil- mobilisation initiative led
lion Anganwadi Centres by the Central government
(AWCs) which “provide Anganwadi children: paltry allocation which will stimulate state
nutritional support to governments to do likewise,
more than 8 crore (80 million) chil- provided to all government second- is urgently needed to rejuvenate run-
dren and 1 crore (10 million) pregnant ary schools and PHCs (primary health down public education infrastructure
women and lactating mothers all over centres) without the budget papers — lavatories, laboratories, libraries,
the country” as also to 2 million “ado- disclosing any specific allocation for well-equipped digitally connected
lescent girls in aspirational districts in these high potential initiatives. In this classrooms presided by well-trained
the north-east region”. For improving connection, it is pertinent to note that teachers. The unimaginative, drab
the nutrition of these children and according to UDISE+ 2023-24, 57.2 incremental budgeting practiced by
women, the “cost norms” will be “en- percent (837,900) and 53.9 percent finance minister Sitharaman is un-
hanced appropriately”, said Sithara- (793,800) of schools are without com- likely to serve the cause of bringing
man in her budget speech. Curiously puters and internet connectivity. Yet the world’s largest child and youth
AWCs served by a solitary under-paid no specific allocation has been made population to realise anywhere near
‘helper’ fall within the administra- in Budget 2025-26 to make good its full potential as the ASER surveys
tive purview of the Union Women & these deficiencies. Ditto, a Bharatiya and even NCERT’s NAS (National
Child Development ministry which Bhasha Pustak Scheme to provide Achievement Survey) have confirmed
has made a nominal increase by al- digital-form Indian language books year after year.
locating a paltry Rs.26,889 crore (cf. for schools and higher education is In this cause for the past decade, ev-
Rs.21,260 crore in 2024-25) for 80 promised by the finance minister. But ery year conterminously with presen-
million children in the country’s 1.6 since no specific allocation is made, it tation of the Union Budget, your edi-
million AWCs. is likely to be a pie-in-the-sky. tors have been presenting a schema/
A MONG THE OTHER nota- Centres of Excellence in Artificial to modestly reduce establishment ex-
blueprint for the Union government
A project to set up five National
ble initiatives announced
penses, middle class subsidies, grasp
Intelligence announced last year for
by finance minister Sith-
has been given an additional Rs.200
araman in her budget which Rs.110 crore was allocated, the nettle of privatisation and impose
modest taxes to mobilise Rs.7-8 lakh
speech are establishment of 50,000 crore in 2025-26; an unspecified crore for investment in augmenting
Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) for gov- amount will be spent for augmenting and upgrading public education infra-
ernment school children “over five infrastructure in 5 IITs started after structure. An updated edition of this
years” without any specific allocation. 2014; 10,000 additional seats will schema is presented herewith (see p.
However, 10,000 ATLs per year to en- be provided in medical colleges and 65).
able children in government schools to hospitals. The budget minutae don’t This writer is of firm belief, if
learn by tinkering with lab and other disclose any specific provision for provided access to well-provisioned
equipment is a fleabite given that the these projects. Presumably they will schools and higher education insti-
total number of government schools be funded out of allocations made for tutions with globally benchmarked
countrywide is 1.10 million. Digital India-learning (Rs.681 crore); libraries, laboratories, lavatories,
Likewise an airy promise is made Research & Innovation (Rs.327 crore). and digitally connected classrooms,
that broadband connectivity will be But given that these sums have to be India’s eager-to-learn children with

MARCH 2025 EDUCATIONWORLD 63