Budget 2024: Optimising resources for better educational outcomes

Every budget season, there is a consistent demand to increase the budgetary allocation for education, advocating for spending to reach 6 per cent of GDP, as recommended by the National Education Policy. Greater social spending on sectors like education can indeed boost economic growth, promote equity, and reduce poverty, but this is contingent on the education system’s ability to ensure good learning outcomes. Since its launch in 2021-22, the NIPUN Bharat Mission has seen over Rs 6,000 crore allocated to states, with the Union government contributing 60 per cent of the total expenditure and states contributing the remaining 40 per cent. The Government of India disburses funds for the NIPUN Bharat Mission annually through their Project Approval Board, basing the amount on states’ proposals and utilisation certificates from the previous financial year. Despite teacher salaries accounting for up to 80 per cent of the total education budget in many states, only 2.4 per cent of funds were sanctioned by the Central government for teacher capacity building in 2022-23, primarily because most states did not request for these funds.