As we approach Budget Day, we take a look at the budget allocation for education over the years. In 2017-18, the education budget was Rs 79,685.95 crore and in 2018-19, it was Rs 85,010 crore. Take a look at the schemes that were promised and whether the government has managed to deliver on their promises

Union Budget 2018-19:

Social Assistance Programme

Proposition

The government is implementing a comprehensive social security and protection programme to reach every household that has old people, widows, orphaned children, the disabled and deprived as per the socio-economic caste census. Allocation on National Social Assistance programme had been kept at Rs 9,975 crore, which is 38% more than the budget allocation of 2014-15 which stood at Rs 7,241 crore.



Where we stand

At the beginning of the financial year 2017-18, only a few states/UTs namely Gujarat, Lakshadweep, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Jharkhand and Maharashtra were disbursing the NSAP assistance through digital transactions and reported 1.73 crore transactions under the direct benefit transfer mode. In the financial year ending on March 31, 2018, twenty states/UTs — Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh have reported transactions of 10.73 crore.



School Enrolment

Proposition

The government has defined learning outcomes and National Survey of more than 20 lakh children has been conducted to assess the status on the ground. This will help in devising a district-wise strategy for improving quality of education. They proposed to treat education holistically without segmentation from pre-nursery to Class XII.

Where we stand

The Union Minister for HRD Prakash Javadekar said that in pursuance of the proposal of the Union Budget, 2018-19, to treat school education holistically without segmentation from pre-school to Class XII, the Department of School Education and Literacy has launched the Samagra Shiksha - an Integrated Scheme for School Education as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with effect from the year 2018-19. This programme subsumes the three erstwhile Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE).



Teacher Training

Proposition

The government announced that they would initiate an integrated BEd programme for teachers. Training of teachers during service is extremely critical and they said that they had amended the Right to Education Act to enable more than 13 lakh untrained teachers to get trained and develop the skills that they require to lead young Indians in the right direction.

Where we stand

In order to regulate the growth of teacher education at all levels, on the basis of recommendations received from the State governments and UT administration regarding requirement of teacher education courses, the NCTE has decided not to invite or accept any application for recognition of new teacher training institutions or programmes, including additional courses and increase of intake in existing recognised institutions or programmes for the academic session 2019-20.



Diksha

Proposition

The government proposed to increase the digital intensity in education and move gradually from ‘‘black board’’ to ‘‘digital board’’. Technology was also to be used to upgrade the skills of teachers through the recently launched digital portal DIKSHA.

Where we stand

Students can use any Android-compatible QR codes scanner to link to the portal. The online resources that are hosted on the DIKSHA platform were created by the School Education Department. Students can link to the portal to access content by downloading the DIKSHA app or they can use any QR code scanner available on Android mobile phones to link to it. Several teachers and schools are yet to get the boards though and are waiting.



Ekalavya Schools

Proposition

To increase literacy, it was decided that by the year 2022, every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons, will have an Ekalavya model residential school. Ekalavya schools will be on par with Navodaya Vidyalayas and will have special facilities for preserving local art and culture besides providing skill development.

Where we stand

Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram announced the establishment of Ekalavya model residential schools in 36 blocks of Meghalaya at the cost of Rs 20 crore each. He said the project of constructing the 36 schools will be completed in three years. The recurring cost to be enhanced to Rs 1,09,000 per student per year from the existing Rs 61,500, from 2019-20 onwards. Additional 20% would be provided towards construction cost in North East, hilly areas and difficult areas.



Infra Improvement

Proposition

There was a proposal to launch a major initiative named Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Education (RISE) by 2022 with a total investment of Rs 1,00,000 crore in next four years. Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) would be suitably structured for funding this initiative.

Where we stand

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs recently approved a proposal to expand the scope of Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) by expanding its capital base to Rs 10,000 crore. HEFA has since given funds to more than 10 educational institutions to work on improving infrastructure. However, the proposal was stuck in Parliament for a while and so, delays have set back infra work.



Railway University

Proposition

The government announced the setting up of a specialised Railways University at Vadodara. This was a pet project of the Prime Minister and he took personal interest in the way that it shaped up.

Where we stand

India's first Railway University, National Rail and Transportation Institute was dedicated to the nation on December 16, 2018. NRTI, a pet project of the PM was already functioning temporarily from NAIR from September 5, 2018. The first batch had 103 students from 20 states enrolled in two fully residential undergraduate courses. In the next five years, Rs 421 crore will be invested to develop the campus and add more practical touches so that students have an all-round experience in working with trains — the lifeline of India's transportation network and the millions who use it every single day.



PhD Scholarships

Proposition

The Government proposed to launch the Prime Minister’s Research Fellows Scheme last year. Under this, it would identify 1,000 of the best BTech students each year from premier institutions and provide the facilities to do PhD in IITs and IISc, with a handsome fellowship.

Where we stand

The MHRD announced that students will be allowed to apply for the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship under which Rs 70,000 per month is given to a student apart from a research grant of Rs 2 lakh per year. So far the scheme was restricted to IISc, IITs, NITs, IISERs, centrally funded IIITs. However, there has been trouble brewing because students are complaining about the discrepancy — which has led to the ongoing strikes and protests.



New Medical Colleges

Proposition

In order to further enhance the accessibility of quality medical education and healthcare, the government proposed setting up 24 new Government Medical Colleges and Hospitals by upgrading existing district hospitals in the country. This would ensure that there is at least one Medical College for every three Parliamentary Constituencies and at least one Government Medical College in each state of the country.

Where we stand

Under Phase–I of the scheme, 58 districts in 20 States/UT have been selected. Out of these, 56 colleges have been approved and a sum of Rs 5,188.42 crore has been released to the States/UT. 8 colleges under Phase – I are functional. Phase–II of the scheme for the establishment of 24 new medical colleges has been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in its meeting held on February 7, 2018. Three districts in Bihar namely Purnia, Saran (Chhapara) and Samastipur were identified under Phase–I of the above scheme to establish new colleges. The medical colleges at Purnia, Saran (Chhapara) have been approved but work is yet to be completed.



Institutes of Eminence

Proposition

The government has taken a major initiative of setting up Institutes of Eminence. There has been a tremendous anticipation to this initiative by institutions both in public and private sectors, said the FM.

Where we stand

The total count of Institutes of Eminence recommended by the Empowered Expert Committee (EEC) chaired by former Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami has now gone to 30. While the government had announced that 20 Institutes of Eminence would be created - ten each in public and private category, a reserve of five each had been advised by the University Grants Commission. Accordingly, the EEC has announced 14 more institutes eligible for the status over and above the 11 which it had recommended in July. The government had then chosen to accord to status only to six of them - three in public and private category for equal treatment. Jio University raised the most flak.



Union Budget 2017-18:

Over the years, education has grown in significance within the ambit of the Union Budget and its various components. The allocation for the education sector in the Union Budget 2017-18 saw a 9.9% rise from the Rs 72,394 crore allocated in 2016-17. The Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also said that the government would undertake reforms in the University Grants Commission of India.

Learning outcomes

Proposition

The government proposed to introduce a system of measuring annual learning outcomes in schools. It said that emphasis will be given on Science education in the curriculum to promote creativity through local innovative contents. The school assessment programme was allocated a sum of Rs 67 lakh in the 2017-18 budget as against Rs 5 crore in the previous one.

Where we stand

‘Learning Outcomes’ for each class in Languages, Mathematics, Environmental Studies, Science and Social Science up to the Elementary stage have been finalised. A total of 21 States and UTs have incorporated the learning outcomes in their respective State rules.



UGC Regulations

Proposition

In the higher education sector, the government proposed to undertake reforms in the UGC. Good quality institutions would be enabled to have greater academic autonomy. They said that colleges would be identified on accreditation and ranking, and given autonomous status. A revised framework was set to be put in place for an outcome-based accreditation and credit-based programmes.

Where we stand

UGC Regulations were revisited and graded into three categories based on their NAAC grades. Academic and administrative autonomy — new framework/guidelines approved by UGC have been uploaded in the public domain. The draft framework for revised accreditation is under consultation with the stakeholders.



Online open Courses

Proposition

The government proposed to leverage information technology and launch the SWAYAM platform with at least 350 online courses. This would enable students to virtually attend the courses taught by the best faculty, access reading resources, participate in discussion forums and earn academic grades. Access to SWAYAM would be widened by linkage with DTH channels, dedicated to education.

Where we stand

Ministry of Human Resource Development has developed Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) and detailed guidelines for it. At present, about 593 online courses are listed on SWAYAM and about 260 have been delivered. For linking of SWAYAM with DTH Channels and its expansion, two transponders of GSAT-15 and 32 DTH Educational TV Channels have been operationalised.



Innovation fund

Proposition

An Innovation Fund for Secondary Education was set to be created to encourage local innovation to ensure universal access, gender parity and quality improvement. This was also supposed to include ICT enabled learning transformation. The focus was on 3,479 educationally backward blocks.

Where we stand

The ‘Innovation Fund’ was earmarked under the existing budget of Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan Scheme for the financial year 2017-18. The Standing Finance Committee appraised the proposal for the creation of the Innovation Fund, aimed at local innovation to ensure universal access, gender parity and quality improvement. The guidelines of the Innovation Fund for Secondary Education have been circulated to all states and union territories. The Ministry has so far approved an outlay of Rs 6974.96 lakh for projects under the Innovation Fund in 22 states/UTs.



National Testing Agency

Proposition

The government said that they would establish a National Testing Agency as an autonomous and self-sustained premier testing organisation to conduct all entrance examinations for higher education institutions. This would free CBSE, AICTE and other premier institutions from these administrative responsibilities so that they can focus more on academics.

Where we stand

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has been approved by the Union Council of Ministers and established in November 2017 to conduct entrance examinations for higher educational institutions.



Skill Strengthening

Proposition

The next phase of Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE) was to be launched in 2017-18 at a cost of Rs 2,200 crore. The main objective of STRIVE was to focus on improving the quality and market relevance of vocational training provided in ITIs and strengthen the apprenticeship programmes through an industry cluster approach.

Where we stand

The Expenditure Finance Committee has apprised the STRIVE Scheme and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved it. The financing agreement is to be signed between GoI and the World Bank. An amount of Rs 50 crore is available for the scheme but not much has been achieved in this sector.



Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras

Proposition

After the promotion of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKK) in more than 60 districts the government proposed to extend these Kendras to more than 600 districts across the country. More than 100 India International Skills Centres (IISC) were to be established across the country. These centres would offer advanced training and also courses in foreign languages.

Where we stand

A total of 527 PMKKs have been allocated to 27 States covering 484 districts and 406 Parliamentary Constituencies and 14 IISCs are already operational while seven more IISCs have been shortlisted and will be operationalised soon. Current IISC guidelines are being revised to make them market driven. Phase 1 and 2 will be launched once the revised guidelines are finalised.



PG seats for Healthcare

Proposition

The government thought that there was a need to ensure availability of specialist doctors to strengthen Secondary and Tertiary levels of healthcare and took steps to create an additional 5,000 postgraduate seats per annum. The government was committed to take necessary steps for structural transformation of the regulatory framework of Medical Education and Practice in India.

Where we stand

Around 5,800 PG seats have been created against the target of 5,000 PG seats. National Board of Examinations (NBE) has been asked to take steps to roll out DNB courses in big District Hospitals and reputed Private Hospitals. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has circulated the guidelines to the state governments on setting up of medical colleges.

