Notwithstanding education being a priority department under the incumbent Government, the irony is education expenditure as a proportion to aggregate expenditure has taken a nosedive in the State since 2000-01.
While the proportion of education expenditure vis-à-vis the aggregate expenditure in 2000-01 was 15.9 per cent, the proportion took a sharp decline by 1.2 per cent to 14.7 per cent in 2018-19 budget estimates (BE).
Such a disconcerting revelation on Odisha’s education front was brought to the fore by a RBI report on State Budgets that was released on Friday. A study of education expenditures in 2018-19 nationally reveals that Odisha with expenditure on education at 14.7 per cent of total expenditure fared poorer than average education expenditure to aggregate expenditure of 19 major States that was pegged at a high of 16.1 per cent. Backward States like Bihar, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal have a proportion of 18.9, 18.2 and 16.2 per cent, respectively.
The significant fact that came to the fore is while the education expenditure to aggregate expenditure was on the decline post 2000-01, the proportion did take a jump to a high of 18 per cent in 2009-11 but again took a plunge to gradually reach 14.7 per cent in 2018-19.
The result is disastrous. When whopping 78 per cent elementary schools in Odisha have no electricity connection, during the last three financial years, surprisingly, not a single school was brought into the loop of electricity connection. In contrast, nationally a high of 61 per cent elementary schools have the privilege of power connection.
Odisha also lags behind in electrification of secondary and higher secondary schools nationally. Nationally, nearly 90 per cent secondary schools are electrified vis-à-vis around 70 per cent in Odisha.
Similarly, in higher secondary the electrified schools in Odisha are 87 per cent vis-à-vis of 93 per cent national average.
Not only electricity, the teachers deployment is also in acute crisis.
While there have been zero teacher vacancies under elementary schools courtesy Sarva Shiksa Abhiyan (SSA) funds, the teacher vacancies in class 9th and 10th were at a high of 1,033. More grave of teacher crisis is under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shikshya Abhiyan (RMSA) for secondary schools. Data reveals that the total vacancies of teacher and headmasters in Odisha in 2017-18 were at a whopping 4,919.
While vacancies of teachers total to 4,391, headmasters’ vacancy totals to around 528. Odisha is 5th in teacher vacancy and 6th among 30 States and UTs with high Principal vacancies in country under RMSA.
While nearly 13 per cent private secondary schools have furniture (desk/table) for students, a mere 7 per cent Government schools have so in Odisha. Only 2 per cent Government secondary
schools have library facilities vis-à-vis of 9 per cent in private schools.
Around 636 primary schools and nearly 200 upper primary schools don’t have their own building despite sanction of funds under SSA. Nearly 4,000 boys and girls toilets have not been constructed under SSA.
Similarly, around 200 odd schools under SSA have no drinking water facilities.
The saving grace for the State, however, is a high of 85 per cent Government secondary schools have integrated science labs vis-à-vis 79 per cent in State’s private schools.