The education sector's allocation in the state's interim budget 2024-25 has increased by 9.8 percent, from Rs 87,314 crore last year to Rs 95,875 crore. However, there has been no increase in education's share of total expenditure, which remains around 16%.
While there were few new educational programmes and schemes announced in the election-year budget presented by Finance Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday, both the school and higher education departments saw an increase in their allocations. However, much of this increase has gone into regular expenses, especially payment of salaries to school and college teachers and staffers, while spending on some of the flagship education schemes has been brought down.
A week after exempting private schools in the vicinity of government schools from having to admit socioeconomically disadvantaged students to 25% of their seats, the state has reduced the budget for reimbursing schools for these admissions from Rs200 crore in the previous budget to Rs 173 crore. The schools claim that the state owes them Rs 2,400 crore.
The state's share of two centrally sponsored schemes, midday meals (PM POSHAN) and Samagra Shiksha, has also been reduced by Rs50 crore and Rs25 crore, respectively, despite the fact that the state recently included eggs in school meals. On the other hand, the budget includes an outlay of Rs81 crore for PM SHRI by the state to upgrade schools along the lines of NEP 2020.
