Educationists who were looking forward to big declarations in the budgetary allocation are disappointed a lot.

The total allocation to education figure is Rs.71,139 crore, which comprises 3.7 per cent of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product), which is one per cent less than the last year.

From the stand point of GDP, education has seen a drop since last year. And, above all, the Finance Minister’s statement that universal education has been attained has been analyzed with skepticism as it is still a secluded goal.

The marginal increase in the allocation to primary education, raises various questions:

• Does the government expect the private sector to fill the huge gap?
• What is the government agenda for primary education?

One of the educationists say that the allocations have also unnoticed the Niti Aayog’s recommendations.

The Aayog had recommended skill development for students studying in madrasas which is not mentioned in the National Education Mission announced by Mr. Jaitley.”

No figures of school dropouts despite the announcements like the setting up of 62 Navodaya Vidyalayas and a digital literacy scheme for rural India, where quality education is little.

Likewise, the the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) and the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) that are part of the 12th Five-Year Plan was also not mentioned in the budget.