Budget Briefs: Samagra Shiksha got 25% more, but only 51% of allocation utilized - Mridusmita Bordoloi, Avani Kapur, Sidharth Santhosh

Accountability Initiative, Centre for Policy Research

At the start of the Financial Year (FY) 2022-23, GoI allocated the highest budget for Samagra Shiksha since its inception at Rs. 37,383 crore Budget Estimates (BEs). This was 25 percent higher than the Revised Estimates (REs) for FY 2021-22. An additional Rs. 447 crore was sought through the supplementary budget in December 2022, bringing the revised allocations to Rs. 37,831 crore.

The pace of GoI releases, however, has been slow. Till 30 November 2022, only 51 percent of total GoI allocations for FY 2022-23, had been released to the states. This pace has been slightly better than FY 2021-22. Till October 2021, 40 per cent of the allocated funds for FY 2021-22 were released. Expenditure under the scheme has been consistently low. In FY 2022-23, till October 2022, only 22 per cent of the total approved budget was spent, including state and GoI shares.

Enrolment in government and government-aided schools increased by over 87 lakh at elementary, and by 31 lakh at secondary levels from the pre-COVID-19 period (academic year 2019-20) to academic year 2021-22. In contrast, enrolment in private-unaided schools dropped by 95 lakh at elementary, and by less than 4 lakh at secondary levels.

Samagra Shiksha is Government of India’s (GoI’s) school education programme covering preprimary to higher-secondary levels. Launched in April 2018, the scheme is the primary vehicle to implement the provisions under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 and the goals for school education under the National Education Policy, 2020.

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