What the article is about:
- The article talks about need of increase in the public funding for higher education as suggested by National Education policy 2020
Relevance:
- GS2: Education, Issues related to development
Analysis:
- The NEP 2020 envisaged that it would “promote increased access, equity, and inclusion through a range of measures, including greater opportunities for outstanding public education.”
Public expenditure on education:
- The NEP noted that public expenditure on education in India was nowhere close to the 6% of GDP envisaged by the 1968 policy.
- 2020 policy endorsed a substantial increase in public investment by the central and state governments to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest.
- As per Kothari commission, higher education should have been getting at least 2% of GDP.
- In contrast, the expenditure in higher education by the centre and states taken together dipped from 0.86% of GDP in 2010-11 to a measly 0.52% in 2019-20.
- As a percentage of the total receipt, the allocation for higher education fell from 1.49% to 1.04% during the corresponding period.
Consequence of privatisation in higher education:
- Most private higher education institutions are run on a self-financed basis, therefore the most obvious consequence would be a substantial increase in fees and other charges from students.
- The rich and affluent, have already crossed a gross enrolment ratio of 100%.
- Gross enrolment ratio: Gross enrollment ratio is the ratio of total enrollment, regardless of age, to the population of the age group that officially corresponds to the level of education shown.
Way forward:
- It is now a reality that 62.5% of our population have to be provided free ration to save them from destitution, no nation would want to deprive such a vast section of accessing higher education.
- To achieve the target of $5 trillion economy, there is need of enhanced investment in higher education.
