The Union Government has asked the State Government to increase the allocation in the school education sector keeping in view the enhanced devolution of funds to the State by the Centre.
Union School Education and literacy Secretary Subash Chandra Khuntia has asked the State Government to improve the funding position for school education.
Dr Khuntia in a letter to the State’s Department of School & Mass Education has pointed out that the share of education in aggregate expenditure of the State Budget was 15.50 per cent in 2012-13, out of which 78.12 per cent was for school education.
Thus the share of school education was 12.11% of the State Budget, which is on lower side. School education is the foundation for developing human capital of the State. So, this sector needs to receive more funds, said Khuntia, who belongs to Odisha.
He has pointed out that not only the existing share for school education should be retained but also looking at the increased devolution of funds to the State through recommendations of the Fourteenth Finance Commission (FFC), funding to this critical sector needs to be enhanced.
As per Receipts Budget of the Union Government, 2015-16, Odisha has been allotted an additional Rs 8,230.39 crore compared to 2014-15 as untied funds under the share of the State in net proceeds of Union atxes and duties.
There are 59,047 elementary schools, both Government, aided and private, in the State where over 63 lakh students have been enrolled while there are 9491 secondary schools.