Union Budget 2025-26

Union Budget 2025-26

Analysis of Department of School Education Budget Allocations (2025-2026)

(1 Crore = 10 Million)

 Brief Observations by Prof. Arun C Mehta

  • Creating a Centre of Excellence in AI (IndiaAI Mission)for Education is a welcome step.
  • The proposal to provide broadband connectivity for all government schools is a welcome step and need of the hour; it is expected to bridge the digital divide gap. However, only 53.9 percent of the total 14,17,891 schools and 46.2 percent of  the total 10,17,660 government schools had internet facilities in the schools. Because of the several digital programs, such as UDISEPlus, SDMIS, PEN, APAAR etc. computers and broadband connectivity should be provided to all schools. 
  • The proposal to raise 10,000 new medical seats in 2025-26 is a step in the right direction.
  • The budget demonstrates clear prioritization of Universal education through Samagra Shiksha, Nutritional support through mid-day meals, and Quality of Education.
  • Samagra Shiksha remains the most significant scheme for School education, with allocations of ₹41,250.00 crores in 2025-26 compared to ₹37,010.00 crores (Budgeted) in the previous year.
  • Samagra Shiksha got the lion’s share of 52.5% of the Department of School Education & Literacy budget.
  • PM POSHAN (Mid-Day Meal Scheme) got ₹12,500/- crores in 2025-26 against ₹10,000.00 crores in 2024-25 (Budget), an increase of ₹ 2,500/- crores.
  • The Department of School Education and Literacy’s net budget allocation for 2025-26 stands at ₹78,572.10 crores, marking a significant increase of 16.3% from the revised estimates (RE) of 2024-25 (₹67,571.20 crores); and  compared to the actual expenditure of ₹67,972.28 crores in 2023-24.
  • Samagra Shiksha and PM SHRI indicate a push towards implementing the National Education Policy 2020
  • No significant allocation increase in the National Merit Scholarship Scheme.
  • The Actual Expenditure on Samagra Shiksha in 2023-24 (₹32,830/- crores) was close to Revised 2024-25 Estimates (₹37,010/- crores), but ₹4,180 crores (11.3 percent) couldn’t be utilized; thus raises questions about the ability to use funds fully.
  • Because of the drastic decline of 6.7 million (2.77 percent) enrolment from 2022-23 to 2023-24, a thorough study must be undertaken, state-wise, to know how funds allocated to Samagra Shiksha are effectively utilized. The decline was to the tune of 14 million during 2022-23 to 2023-24.

Overall Budget Overview

The Department of School Education and Literacy’s net budget allocation for 2025-26 stands at ₹78,572.10 crores, marking a significant increase of 16.3% from the revised estimates (RE) of 2024-25 (₹67,571.20 crores); this represents a steady commitment to education funding, especially when compared to the actual expenditure of ₹67,972.28 crores in 2023-24.

Samagra Shiksha: The Flagship Program

Samagra Shiksha remains the department’s largest scheme with the following allocations:

  • BE 2025-26: ₹41,250.00 crores
  • RE 2024-25: ₹37,010.00 crores
  • Actual 2023-24: ₹32,829.70 crores

The allocation for 2025-26 represents:

  • 52.5% of the department’s total net budget
  • 11.5% increase from RE 2024-25
  • 25.6% increase from actual expenditure in 2023-24

Notable sub-allocations within Samagra Shiksha for 2025-26 include:

  • ₹538.11 crores for PM-JANMAN (Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan)
  • ₹688.00 crores for Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan

Major School-Related Provisions

  1. Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS)
  • BE 2025-26: ₹9,503.84 crores
  • RE 2024-25: ₹8,727.00 crores
  • Actual 2023-24: ₹8,500.00 crores Showing an 8.9% increase from RE 2024-25
  1. Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS)
  • BE 2025-26: ₹5,305.23 crores
  • RE 2024-25: ₹5,370.79 crores
  • Actual 2023-24: ₹5,469.80 crores Showing a slight decrease of 1.2% from RE 2024-25
  1. PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI)
  • BE 2025-26: ₹7,500.00 crores
  • RE 2024-25: ₹4,500.00 crores
  • Actual 2023-24: ₹1,214.68 crores, Showing a substantial 66.7% increase from RE 2024-25
  1. PM POSHAN (Mid-Day Meal Scheme)
  • BE 2025-26: ₹12,500.00 crores
  • RE 2024-25: ₹10,000.00 crores
  • Actual 2023-24: ₹8,457.73 crores Showing a 25% increase from RE 2024-25

Other Significant Allocations

  1. National Means cum Merit Scholarship Scheme
  • BE 2025-26: ₹374.00 crores
  • RE 2024-25: ₹352.60 crores
  • Actual 2023-24: ₹313.11 crores
  1. NCERT
  • BE 2025-26: ₹593.71 crores
  • RE 2024-25: ₹560.77 crores
  • Actual 2023-24: ₹342.97 crores

Analysis and Observations

  1. Priority Areas: The budget demonstrates clear prioritization of:
    • Universal Education through Samagra Shiksha (52.5% of the total budget)
    • Nutritional support through PM POSHAN (15.9% of total budget)
    • Quality education through KVS and NVS (18.8% combined)
  2. Growth Patterns:
    • Most schemes show positive growth from RE 2024-25 to BE 2025-26
    • PM SHRI shows the highest growth rate (66.7%)
    • Only NVS shows a marginal decline (-1.2%)
  3. Implementation Efficiency:
    • Historical data shows consistent utilization of allocated funds
    • The actual expenditure in 2023-24 was close to the revised estimates
    • The increase in allocations suggests confidence in implementation capacity

Concluding Observations

The BE 2025-26 represents a significant commitment to school education with a balanced focus on access, quality, and nutrition. The substantial increases in flagship schemes like Samagra Shiksha and PM SHRI indicate a push towards implementing the National Education Policy 2020. The allocation pattern suggests a comprehensive approach to addressing school education’s infrastructural and qualitative aspects.

Education for All in India