Students in government schools may miss out on some entitlements as Central funding in the education sector has shrunk. The repercussions of this are already making themselves felt. For instance, even though government schools are well into the academic year, students have not received their second set of uniforms, usually provided by the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).
Sources in the Department of Primary and Secondary Education confirmed that there has been a huge drop in allocation of funds from the Centre. Although the department, in the Project Approval Board (PAB) meeting, had issued a plan proposal of ₹1,679 crore, the Union government decided to approve only ₹577 crore.
Another project that could be affected by this is the Karnataka Public School concept, under which the State government has planned to consolidate some schools to ensure that classes of grade 1 to pre-university are held on the same campus.
An official with the Department of Primary and Secondary Education said many of the entitlements promised under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 may also be affected by the paucity of funds.
At a meeting last month, representatives of the department decided to formally close the SSA and the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan to pave way for Samagra Shiksha, a programme extending from preschool to class 12. However, when contacted now, officials said none of the existing programmes would be discontinued.