The Narendra Modi government is likely to slash the school education budget for 2019-20 by Rs 3,000 crore. The reason cited by the Ministry of Finance is the lack of funds. According to The Print, a sum of Rs 56,536.63 crore was sanctioned to the school education department for the 2019-20 financial year. The funds cut was discussed in a meeting between officials of the HRD and finance ministries two weeks ago.

A ministry source said, “Finance ministry officials said they will have to reduce the budget for school education by Rs 3,000 crore. While another source added, “The (HRD) ministry is pushing them (finance ministry) to release the full amount because the school education department has no other way of generating funds. Higher education department has things like HEFA (Higher Education Finance Agency) through which they can raise money, but school education (department) does not have any such means.”

HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, along with other officials, is now trying to pursue the finance ministry to provide the complete fund. The matter is likely to be announced next week.

According to the report, the cut in funding will create an obstacle for the central schemes as well as affect Kendriya Vidyalaya and Navodaya Vidyalaya’s teachers’ salaries. It will also cause trouble in central government schemes like Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.

In response to the report by The Print, the MHRD said that the story published is incorrect.

Source: The Print