NEW DELHI: Expressing concern over the current allocation for higher education, a parliamentary panel has recommended that spending on education be increased to 6% of GDP as envisaged under the National Education Policy (NEP).
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, headed by Digvijaya Singh, on Tuesday presented its 381st action-taken report on the recommendations contained in the 364th report on demands for grants (2025-26) pertaining to the higher education department to Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan.
The committee noted that the percentage increase in the department’s budget estimates (BE) for 2025-26 vis-a-vis that of 2024-25 was lower than the last year.
“The committee feels that in view of the inflationary trends, the allocation should increase at least 8% to 10% to accommodate inflation, maintain the existing standards for expenditure by the department of higher education, and to avoid decline in actual allocation/expenditure for the higher education sector,” the report said.
It also flagged exam irregularities despite measures taken by the government, and recommended that the education ministry publish a time-bound roadmap for implementing reforms suggested by a panel.
The committee noted that the gross enrolment ratio of males and females during 2018-2023 has not registered significant growth for employment and optimal development of human resources. “The Committee, therefore, recommends that the percentage of expenditure should be enhanced further in consonance with the NEP-2020’s targets for 2035,” it said.
Taking note of the NEP, which “endorses a substantial increase in public investment in education by both the Centre and state governments to reach 6% of GDP”, the panel expressed concern that total expenditure on education stood at 4.12% of GDP in 2021-22. It noted Bhutan and Maldives spent 7.47% and 4.67% of their GDP in 2022.