Niti Aayog report seeks more public funding for higher education

Niti Aayog report seeks more public funding for higher education

Sub : Schemes

Sec: Education

Context:

• The NITI Aayog report titled “Expanding Quality Higher Education through States and State Public Universities” reveals disparities in spending on higher education across Indian states and union territories.

Report Highlights:

• Jammu and Kashmir leads with the highest expenditure at 8.11% of GDP, followed by Manipur (7.25%), Meghalaya (6.64%), and Tripura (6.19%).
• In contrast, Delhi (1.67%), Telangana (2%), and Karnataka (2.01%) spend much less.

Growth in Spending on Higher Education:

• The average expenditure per youth on higher education increased from ₹2,174 in 2005-06 to ₹4,921 in 2019-20.
• Despite this increase, there is a growing divergence between the states, with some states spending more than others.
• States like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana are top spenders, while Rajasthan, Punjab, and Chhattisgarh lag behind.

Spending on Higher Education:

• Maharashtra leads in funding with a budget of ₹11,421 crore, followed by Bihar (₹9,666 crore) and Tamil Nadu (₹7,237 crore).
• States like Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland have the lowest budgets.

Spending on Higher Education as a percentage of GSDP:

• Regarding higher education expenditure as a percentage of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), Bihar ranks highest at 1.56%, followed by Jammu & Kashmir (1.53%) and Manipur (1.45%).
• Telangana has the lowest at 0.18%, with Gujarat and Rajasthan at 0.23%.