Now Reading: TN education spend falls to one-third of 2000 level, alleges PMK MP
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TN education spend falls to one-third of 2000 level, alleges PMK MP
PMK president and Rajya Sabha MP Anbumani Ramadoss on Saturday alleged that Tamil Nadu's allocation for education as a proportion of its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) had fallen to nearly one-third…
The Story in Brief
PMK president and Rajya Sabha MP Anbumani Ramadoss on Saturday alleged that Tamil Nadu's allocation for education as a proportion of its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) had fallen to nearly one-third of the level 25 years ago. He questioned whether government schools were being deliberately weakened to benefit private institutions.
In a statement, Ramadoss said the combined allocation for School Education and Higher Education dropped from 3.92% of GSDP in 2000-01 to 1.30% in 2026-27. While ₹4,949 crore was allocated in 2000-01, the current allocation is ₹52,920 crore against an estimated GSDP of ₹40.67 lakh crore. He also cited central data showing government school enrolment fell from 75.52 lakh in 2015-16 to 43.03 lakh in 2025-26, while private school enrolment rose from 36.56 lakh to 62.03 lakh. He urged the state to spend at least 3% of GSDP on education and ensure every government school has a teacher per class.
The Indian Opinion
The numbers quoted by Anbumani Ramadoss are stark, but they must be examined with context. A falling share of GSDP in education spending does not automatically signal a conspiracy to weaken government schools. The state's overall budget has grown manifold, and absolute allocation has increased ten-fold from ₹4,949 crore to ₹52,920 crore. The real test is whether per-pupil spending in government schools has kept pace with inflation and learning needs. If the decline in government school enrolment is due to poor quality, the solution is better funding and governance, not more money alone. Will the DMK government release its own analysis of how much is actually spent per child in government versus private schools? Without that, the political point remains an argument, not a verdict.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
