Education budget for proper learning, bringing back students to school: Hajjaj
Govt eyes raising education budget to 5% of GDP from existing 2%, he says.
The 2% of GDP allocated to education will be used to ensure quality primary education and bring out-of-school children back to classrooms, rather than being spent only on buildings, said State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj today(8 September).
Speaking at an event organised by the Bureau of Non-Formal Education in the capital to mark International Literacy Day 2026, Hajjaj said the government planned to raise the education allocation to 5% of GDP in the future.
"The prime minister has allocated 2% of GDP to the education budget. In the future, 5% will be allocated," he said.
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"This is not just for building infrastructure. This budget will be used to ensure proper primary education and bring students back to school."
Hajjaj said the government is taking several measures to bring children outside the formal education system back into mainstream schooling.
He said children would first be taught foundational skills through accelerated learning programmes so they could return to school quickly.
The government is also considering measures such as mid-day meals and uniforms to encourage children to attend school, he said.
4cr targeted through non-formal education
The government will make the non-formal education system more effective and results-oriented to bring nearly 4 crore people into literacy and education, Hajjaj said.
He said around 22% of the country's population is still outside literacy and formal education, with a large portion comprising adults, while many school-age children also remain outside the formal education system.
Strengthening non-formal education is therefore necessary to bring this large population into the mainstream of education and skills development, the state minister said.
He said Unesco, along with various non-governmental organisations and informal bodies, is supporting the government's efforts to expand non-formal education programmes beyond their existing coverage.
"Simply increasing the literacy rate is not enough," Hajjaj said. "Education must improve people's quality of life, develop values and build their ability to play an effective role in working life."
