Now Reading: India’s education spending falls below UNESCO’s 15% threshold
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India’s education spending falls below UNESCO’s 15% threshold
India's public spending on education has dropped to 14.2% of total government expenditure, below UNESCO's 15% benchmark, even as GDP share stays at 4.1% (above the 4% minimum). The UNESCO 2026 SDG…
The Story in Brief
India's public spending on education has dropped to 14.2% of total government expenditure, below UNESCO's 15% benchmark, even as GDP share stays at 4.1% (above the 4% minimum). The UNESCO 2026 SDG 4 scorecard, released on Monday, shows India's share fell 1.5 percentage points from 15.7% in 2015.
India also lags on school completion. Lower secondary (Classes VI-VIII) completion rate stands at 86%, far short of the 99% national target for 2025. Upper secondary (IX-XII) completion is just 51%, against a target of 84%. UNESCO classifies progress at both levels as slow. India is among 64 countries that meet the GDP threshold but fall short on public expenditure.
The Indian Opinion
Some will point to India meeting the GDP benchmark as proof of adequate spending. But the slide in the share of public expenditure and the wide gap in school completion rates tell a different story. India's 86% lower secondary completion leaves 14% of children out, a large number in absolute terms. The real test will be whether the next Union budget increases education's share of public spending towards 15% again, and whether completion rates rise faster.
Sources (2): timesofindia.indiatimes.com, economictimes.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
