A Mixed Bag - Budget 2017 for Education

Budget 2017 seems to have been a mixed bag of sorts with higher education, unsurprisingly, been given maximum impetus. School education once again seems to have been given the raw end of the deal with hardly any developments or thrusts.  The budget while crafted on the premise of good intentions  clearly seems ambiguous in terms of tackling key implementation challenges. A few observations -

1. National Testing Agency to conduct all exams higher education - To begin with positives, The National Testing Agency should definitely help in terms of reducing burden on students preparing for multitude of entrance tests. It should also enable CBSE and AICTE to focus on its core areas of improving academic milieu.
2. More autonomy to quality education institution - Autonomy to be given to ‘quality’ institutions should definitely up the quality of education and has been the need of the hour but the criteria to discern quality education through accreditation/rankings would hold the key. It will also need to be guarded closely since institutions could take advantage and commercialise courses.
3. System to measure learning outcomes in schools - There seems to be much ambiguity in terms of the implementation of it. Conducting learning assessment programs require huge resource when you consider the 2.5 crore students studying across 14 lakh schools. Whereas school assessment program has been allocated a meagre Rs. 67 lacs against Rs. 5 crore the previous year.
4. Leverage ICT with launch of Swayam which has free courses - virtual attendance taught by best faculty - Swayam which got a soft launch last year is a good initiative but will face issues due to lack of infrastructure and technology. Alos, like other massive open online courses (MOOCs), will face challenges like low completion rates. So, emphasis should be given to strengthen public education system and building up strong teacher training.
5. Setting up of AIIMS and steps to increase post graduate seats for medical seats -  The setting up of the two AIIMS as a move to get more qualified doctors is welcome though again the key challenge is to also get trained faculty as well as integrating it with a strong public healthcare infrastructure system.
6. Innovation Fund - Creation of the innovation fund is definitely needed and could help in bringing about enhanced learning outcomes in backward blocks. However, like the national testing agency, the budget doesn’t give any clue in terms of the allocation for this fund as is with the incorporation of National Testing Agency.
7. Increased allocation to IITs/IIMs - While thrust seems to have been given to IIMs and IITs and higher education in general, in terms of increased allocations, this in itself will not take care of dearth of expert faculty and also quality of students getting enrolled in such institutes. This is where the school education system needs to be strengthened from pre-primary to higher secondary! Unfortunately, school education has been left wanting of critical reforms required. No impetus placed on Teacher training programmes which is critical for the implementation of improving learning outcomes.
8. Increase of Rs. 1000 crore and Rs. 300 crore allocation to SSA and mid day meal - The midday meal scheme got a mere Rs. 300 crore increase, not enough for the millions of malnourished children in schools and to improve the quality of food being served in schools. A meagre increase of Rs. 1000 crores in Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan won’t be very helpful in ironing out the multitudes of problems the program has run into. Two deadlines have been missed due to inadequate resources. The universalisation of education from pre-primary to secondary education still seems like a distant dream to come true and in this 21st century for us to not have completed this basic milestone is not only unfortunate but shameful.

Overall, we have a long way to go in terms of improving our education system which is the backbone of any nation. We require bold moves and structural approach to really work on crucial issues troubling both school and higher education to bridge a phenomenally huge gap in the dissemination of education, inclusion, infrastructure and technology, curriculum. Remember, we will have a working population of over 860 million by 2020!  A mere 3.8% allocation of GDP to education against a 6% allocation proposed by the education commission back in 1964-66 shows the abyss we will be staring at, if we don’t make education our top priority.