News
Ansari expresses concern over dropping State funding for education and other social schemes.
Vice President Dr. Hamid Ansari is concerned about the declining contribution of State in funding key social sector programmes, including education. Ansari shared statistics of the decline in funding – Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, and National Health Mission —
Vice President Dr. Hamid Ansari is concerned about the declining contribution of State in funding key social sector programmes, including education.
Dr. Ansari was at Kochi, inaugurating the fourth phase of the Vidyadhanam project, piloted by Prof. K.V. Thomas Vidyadhanam Trust. Dr. Ansari shared statistics of the decline in funding – Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, and National Health Mission — have seen a decline of approximately 8%, 6% and 3% respectively over the last two years.
He said that the government should be looking at enhancing investments in education, and other social welfare schemes, especially one covering the rural sector to ensure that the education prospects of children is not affected by the falling income of families.
He pointed out that public services like school education can nurture participatory growth and even then financing education in India remains low. The outlay on expenditure for education today stands at 3.5% of the GDP, much below the committed 6% in various national policies.
The VP lauded Kerala’s efforts to spread education and commented that the state’s achievements in education and other socio-economic fronts were deeply rooted in the State’s intellectual history that unleashed progressive forces against backwardness.
The Vidyadhanam project deposits ₹2,500 each in the bank accounts of 948 students of government and aided schools who score A Plus in SSLC and Plus Two courses in the Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency.
Read the original story at www.thehindu.com