EDUCATION

To improve standard of basic, secondary and higher education in the state, Uttar Pradesh government hiked budgetary allocation for education from Rs 54,039 crore in 2016-17 to Rs 66,599 crore.The budget for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is up 23% compared to last year. For 2017-18, the government has earmarked Rs 19,444 crore as against Rs 15,397 crore allocated for SSA in 2016-17. The hike is primarily due to increase in state government’s share in proportion to the Central government’s allocation. While 60% of the total allocation is borne by the Centre, 40% is spent by the state. Primary and upper primary kids enrolled in government schools will get free school bags, uniform and books. In addition, the state government, for the first time, has decided to provide a pair of shoes, two pairs of socks and a sweater to all government school children from classes I to VIII at a cost of Rs 524 crore.Compared to allocation for SSA, the provision of Rs 552 crore for National Secondary Education Campaign is not very encouraging. The government has introduced a special scholarship in the name of RSS ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyaya , for class X UP state board toppers. Every month, the government will transfer Rs 2,000 in the Aadhar-linked accounts of two toppers, one boy and one girl, up to postgraduate level. Besides, Rs 25 crore has been allocated for setting up of 166 DDU model schools in the state.Students pursuing higher education has something to cheer. In a digital transformation, the state government announced providing free Wi-Fi facility in all colleges, government and private, and state universities. A provision of Rs 50 crore has been made for free Wi-Fi facility in the budget. Boosting research, the government has decided to set up research chairs in the name of RSS ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyay in 15 state universities. Except for Lucknow University, which has been allocated Rs 2 crore for the DDU research chair, all other universities will get Rs 50 lakh each for setting up this research chair. Situated in the state capital, LU gets an edge over others. Besides the DDU research chair, it will also have a Bhaurao Devras Research Centre in the commerce faculty at an estimated cost of Rs 2 crore.Promoting girl education, the state government has launched the Ahilyabai Free Education Scheme with a budgetary allocation of Rs 21.12 crore. The scheme provides for free education up to graduate level for girls . Aiming for transparency in the affiliation process, a provision of Rs 50 lakh has been made in the budget for acquiring software and other resources needed for the online process. Good work by universities will be recognised with Chancellor’s award. A provision of Rs 16.90 lakh has been made in the Budget for Chancellor’s award. While teacher shortage continues in higher education institutions, conventional courses (like BA, BSC, and BCom) in state universities are no more attractive for students and there is a mass exodus to bigger cities for quality education. No initiative has been taken in this direction.Government’s decision to open an engineering college in Pratapgarh has not been appreciated. In 2015, three government engineering colleges were opened each in Sonhbhadra, Mainpuri and Kannauj. Till date, none of these colleges has its own building. Students enrolled in Mainpuri and Kannuaj attend classes at HBTU, Kanpur whereas students of the Sonbhadra centre go to KNIT, Sultanpur. Only last year, director has been appointed in these colleges. The government has allocated Rs 27 crore for completion of work so that academic session 2017-18 can be commenced on their own campuses. An arrangement of Rs 10 crore has been made for completion of construction work at IIIT, Lucknow.According to academician Geeta Gandhi Kingdon, increase in budget for education was not an option, as it was a compulsion to pay state teachers and school staff as per the Seventh Pay Commission recommendation, which was brought into effect by the previous SP government. Teachers’ salaries have increased by 18.5% and of non-teaching staff by 27.3%, leaving little scope for improvement in quality of schooling and facilities for children such as furniture, study material and technology, the expert added.SCHEMES FAIL TO TAKE OFF - NO LAPTOPS, UNIFORMS FOR SECONDARY STUDENTThe budget is disappointing for secondary education. With government curtailing the ambitious laptop scheme and Kanya Vidya Dhan, meritorious and poor students will be left with no incentives. “The laptop scheme was scrapped despite it being promised by the BJP in its manifesto,’’ said an official.After coming to power in 2012, the SP government launched four schemes for meritorious students, particularly girls. While two schemes ‘Hamari Beti, Uska Kal’ meant for minority kids and ‘Padhein Betiyan, Badhein Betiyan’ meant for class X pass girls coming from BPL families ran only for a year, Kanya Vidya Dhan and laptop scheme continued. In 2016, the Kanya Vidya Dhan too was modified, from BPL to only meritorious class XII pass girls. But with allocations made in either of the two, there is nothing on platter for secondary kids.Likewise, the government also ripped the underprivileged secondary students off the free uniforms, books, shoes and bags, which they promised in their manifesto. In fact, the BJP government was the first which promised providing free books, and uniforms to students of class IX to XII.- A provision of Rs 19,444 crore has been made for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan- The government has ear marked Rs 50 crore for providing free Wi-Fi facility in all colleges and universities in UP- Rs 27 crore for construction of engineering colleges in Sonbhadra, Mainpuri and Kannauj- A target of creating 70 lakh job opportunities over next 5 years