Union Budget: Allocate funds to implement NEP, bridge the digital divide in classrooms

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Union Budget is to be placed before Parliament once again, with every sector seeking greater funding. When I took over as secretary of school education, Government of India, in 2016, I was aghast to discover that even the nominal allocation to school education had been consistently declining since 2014.

Even at the cost of annoying a few important people, I raised this issue, and, as a result, the amount was increased for 2017-18. But why was there a need to raise this issue in the first place? Isn't school education important enough to attract attention? Many issues afflict school education, and they have not only been outlined in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, but prescriptions have also been provided for them. However, these prescriptions cannot be administered without requisite funding.

This is where the 2026-27 budget assumes critical importance. To implement the recommendations of the NEP, adequate funding is essential. Beyond additional funding, the following areas also require consideration and financial support: Teachers are the pivot of school education.

Recommendations under the NEP regarding B.Ed. colleges need to be implemented in letter and spirit to address fraudulent colleges that indulge in malpractices. Recruitment of government teachers requires drastic improvement.

Focus has to be on teacher training and capacity building. This can be achieved by investing significantly in teacher training programmes, including continuous professional development, to ensure the adoption of modern pedagogical practices, especially in STEM, digital literacy, languages, and soft skills. This is critical for realizing the long-term aims of school reforms.