Prioritise education : Treat it as a long-term investment
The Tribune Editorial: The Ministry of Education’s share of the Union Budget has dropped from 4.6% in 2013-14 to 2.5% in 2025-26
Updated At : 07:16 AM Aug 10, 2026 IST
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INDIA’s education sector has been under sharp scrutiny in recent weeks, largely due to the student protests over exam paper leaks. Questions have been raised about the NDA government’s priorities. Education accounts for 4.1% of India’s GDP, just above UNESCO’s benchmark, but its share of the total public expenditure has fallen to 14.2%, below the recommended 15%. The Education 2030 framework, a global agenda, expects countries to devote 4-6% of GDP or 15-20% of the public expenditure to education. India, China and Brazil are among the countries that meet only one of the two minimum thresholds.
