Budget: Time for a massive boost to education?

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 had called for a 6% GDP allocation for education identifying one-time spends on infrastructure as the lead priority. In the last Budget, education received ₹1.28 lakh crore, up 6.22%, with ₹50,077.95 crore allocated to higher education. The Union budget of 2025 had come with some high-profile announcements, such as an AI Centre of Excellence for education with an allocation of ₹500 crore, broadband connectivity for schools, the expansion of five third-generation IITs, and increased funding for Indian knowledge systems.

The Economic Survey 2024-25 shows that the number of higher education institutions rose 13.8% over eight years, while the Gross Enrolment Ratio increased from 23.7% to 28.4%. But, the UDISE+ 2023-24 data released by the Ministry of Education shows a dip in government school enrolment by 88 lakh in 2023-24 compared to the previous year.

The number of government schools across the country has declined over the last six years. Early this month, the Supreme Court has observed that “massification” and “privatisation” of higher education have placed India second globally in student enrolment, but the rush has left behind a trail of deaths, distress, chronic vacancies and exploitation.

As Budget 2026 arrives, The Hindu will host a webinar titled, ‘Budget: Time for a massive boost to education?’, on January 24, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. The panellists include: Tikender Singh Panwar, Former Deputy Mayor, Shimla Municipal Corporation; Abhishek Malhotra, Assistant Professor, Sri Venkateswara College(DU); Prof. Vishwanathan Iyer, Sr. Associate Professor,Great Lakes, Chennai. The webinar will be moderated by M. Kalyanaraman, who heads the education vertical at The Hindu.

Register now for free to ask questions and interact with the panellists. The three best questions will receive a free online subscription to The Hindu.

Panellists

Tikender Singh Panwar, Former Deputy Mayor, Shimla Municipal Corporation

Tikender Singh Panwar has served as the directly elected Deputy Mayor of Shimla City, contributing to urban planning and development. He is also an author of four urbanisation. He has received training in urban studies from institutions such as the CELAP Academy in Shanghai, China, and NTU University in Singapore. He also completed a notable fellowship on urban mobility in Leipzig, Germany. He was a key member of the national task force led by KC Sivaramakrishna that reviewed the 74th Constitutional Amendment.

Abhishek Malhotra, Assistant Professor, Sri Venkateswara College(DU)

Abhishek Malhotra is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi and is a Visiting Fellow at India Foundation. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and specializes in the field of Urban Economics and Economic Policy. He served as Secretary (Partnerships and Finance) at the Y20 India Secretariat during India’s G20 Presidency. He has also worked with the office of Chief Economic Adviser at the Ministry of Finance, Gol. and as a research associate with IIM Ahmedabad.

Prof. Vishwanathan Iyer, Sr. Associate Professor, Great Lakes, Chennai

Prof. Vishwanathan Iyer is a Senior Associate Professor in Finance and Accounting and the Director of Accreditation at Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai. He teaches Accounting, Corporate Finance, Fixed Income, Quantitative Asset Management, and Financial Econometrics. His research interests lie in Risk Management, Earnings Management, and Psycholinguistics. With over twenty years of experience, he has been deeply involved in teaching and research across some of India’s leading business schools.

(For any feedback or suggestions, reach out to us at education@thehindu.co.in)