COIMBATORE: Former Vice-Chancellor of Anna University E Balagurusamy on Saturday urged the central government to increase the budgetary allocation for education and research.
In a letter to the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Balagurusamy said that the National Education Policy (NEP) is a clear roadmap for achieving the educational goals and aspirations of 21st-century India.
"Budgetary allocations should be increased to 6% of the GDP for education and 2% of the GDP for research as envisaged in the policy. A well-defined framework for interoperability of various central ministries, regulatory bodies, state governments and industries must be in place for effective implementation of the NEP. The structural, operational and financial commitments of this framework must be detailed in the budget allocations," Balagurusamy demanded.
The NEP 2020 has promised an allocation of 6% of GDP for education and 2% of GDP for research, he noted.
"During the last few years, spending on education has remained stagnant at around 10.5% of the total government budget and has only marginally increased from 2.8% to 3.1% of the GDP," he added.
"It is now more than three years since the NEP was announced. However, there has not been any considerable increase in budget allocation for implementing the measures suggested therein, Current spending on education is about 3.1% of the GDP and on research and development it is about 0.69% of GDP which are alarmingly low compared to other countries," Balagurusamy said.
Balagurusamy warned that while the spirit of NEP is in the right direction, without additional fund allocation, it is practically an impossible task to implement its recommendations across the country.
"It is estimated that around 40% of the faculty positions in the existing universities and higher education institutions are vacant. Quality in many institutions is a matter of serious concern. Innovation and research capability of an institution largely depend on the quality of faculty as well as the research facilities available. This again requires considerable funding," Balagurusamy said.
"The University Grants Commission (UGC), which is in a hurry to implement the NEP, has announced a slew of initiatives in higher education without proper thought, preparation and planning. For instance, measures like increasing online admission to improve the Gross Enrolment Ratio, introducing double-degree programmes to enhance employability and inviting foreign universities to India to provide quality education are not only detrimental to the quality of Indian education but also defies the basic tenets of the NEP," the academician asserted.