NEP 2020 Goals at Risk Without Higher Spending, Says Parliamentary Committee

The Parliamentary Committee on Education expressed that without a larger education budget, they cannot achieve the goals set by the new National Education Policy. The members were happy to see that both Centre and state budgets were increased in recent years, but more increases are required.

The Centre and State Governments should jointly formulate a plan to spend 6% of GDP on Education by 2030. The committee, led by senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Digvijay Singh, has submitted this recommendation in their report on Wednesday.

According to the committee, 4.12 percent of GDP was spent on school education in 2024-25, while approximately four percent of GDP was spent on higher education. The committee expressed concern about the 1.17 million children out of school and recommended that necessary steps be taken to connect them with schooling.

The committee also expressed deep concern about the 1.10 million schools in the country that are run by just one teacher. It stated that most of these schools are in rural areas. In such circumstances, if a teacher falls ill or is absent, children's education would be completely disrupted.

The committee suggested deploying at least two teachers in such schools. The committee also made several important suggestions regarding higher education. Among these, it recommended tightening the rules and procedures for the rapidly opening foreign universities in the country.

It stated that some arrangement should be made so that they invest a significant portion of their income within the country. The committee has recommended extending PM Poshan to school children first up to Class IX and then up to Class XII in the next five years.