 SUMMING UP

5.1 Education is a critical factor in the economic development of the country. It is to be considered as the part of the infrastructural requirement of the economy. Without a literate population economic progress will be tardy and sluggish. Expenditure on education, therefore, needs to be viewed as in investment.

5.2 The present level of investment is not adequate; it needs to be increased significantly. In fact, atleast till the country achieves universal literacy there is need for considerable stepping up of the expenditure, particularly for elementary education.

5.3 Education, particularly primary education, must be given special treatment as it is a basic need While there has been steady growth in expenditure on elementary education, this has been off set by the increase in prices and rapid increase in population and number of students in particular. Compared to 105 times growth in current prices between 1950-51 and 1986-87, the real increase in expenditure on elementary education has been 13 times only. With reference to expenditure per student, the system is managing with more or less the same amount of money in real terms in 1980-81 as in 1950-51. Infact, between 1970-71 and 1980-81, recurring expenditure per student declined from Rs. 27 to Rs.20 (1950-51 prices) in respect of primary education and it declined from Rs.31 to Rs. 27 in respect of elementary education. This implies that there is a need to step-up the level of total resources to be allocated for elementary education, for improving

the quality. of education, to take care of the increase in the enrolment and account for infraction. [These are the views of the of the NDC Committee on Literacy.] They are worked out the total additional enrolment at elementary stage by 2000 AD at 5.89 crores as against 5.61 crores by the end of Eighth Plan.

5.4 The cost of elementary education worked out by the NDC Committee are as under:

         
             Item           At the end of       In        2000  AD
                            Eighth Plan
                                          
                                 (Rs. in crores)
        
        Recurring                3652.00                  3834.50
        
        Non-recurring            8542.00                  10600.64
                                          
             Total              12194.00                  14435.14

5.5 There is need to revise the past Practice of upgradation grants for construction of primary school buildings.

5.6 In working out the projections of expenditure, national educational norms such as opening of schools, Operation Blackboard (i.e. classroom) should be taken in-to account. Likewise, the non- plan liabilities arising from Plan schemes taken up in the Seventh Plan, Annual Plans (1990-91 and 1991-92) and Eighth Plan, should be fully provided for.

5.7 Provisions for maintenance and upkeep of capital assets should be adequate.

5.8 Girls' education is a priority item under the NPE, 1986 and Programme of Action (POA), 1992. Women's education is given special focus in all schemes and programmes of the Department. Of particular importance is the fact that the criteria for

selection of districts under the DPEP give priority to the districts having female literacy rate below the national average. Convergence of programmes like ICDS, Balwadis, primary health, provision of safe drinking water, proximity of fuel, fodder, etc. would go a long way in fostering girls' education. Provision of toilets and construction of compound walls in all girls' schools is a necessity. Since women teachers have a magnetic effect on girls' enrolment and retention, provision needs to be made for construction of residential quarters for lady teachers to attract them. Further, in some areas it would be necessary to have free hostel facilities for girls so that they do not have to trudge long distance for reaching school, which in itself would be a deterring factor for parents to send girls to schools. Also, incentive schemes like scholarships, free uniforms, free text- books and stationary would have to be provided to girls in States like Rajasthan and Bihar where female literacy rates are much below national average. It would be desirable to consider giving financial assistance to the extent of 50 per cent to the States/Union Territories for setting up secondary/senior secondary schools for girls in remote, tribal and rural areas where such facilities for them are below the ideal ratio.

5.9 The schemes for Education do not have any scope for reducing the allocations. Many of' the schemes like the Operation Blackboard are interventions for quality improvement. These measures still affect only the fringe of the problem and investment of a higher order is required to upgrade the facilities to an acceptable level nationally. However, keeping

in view the resource constraints, the Department has suggested only reasonable norms and, presented projections, in the priority areas only. The Commission may, therefore, sympathetically consider the proposals and provide the upgradation grants suggested in Chapter 4.