BackCentre to release ₹14,750 cr to states to boost education spend
MHRD declares funding for mid-day meal, says board exams to be completed after lockdown is liftedMid-day meals during summer vacations will cost the exchequer ₹1,600 crore extra
PremiumNEW DELHI : The Centre will soon release ₹14,750 crore to states, including ₹6,200 crore of unused funds from the previous fiscal year, to fund education expenses amid the covid-19 crisis.
The central and state governments on Tuesday also decided to provide mid-day meals to over 100 million school students during the summer vacation, a bulk of whom are in rural India. The meals, which are generally not provided during the months of May and June, will cost the exchequer ₹1,600 crore extra.
But the government believes that it will help rural households facing income loss due to the covid lockdown, and will help provide food security to poor students. As schools are closed, food items and the cooking cost will be distributed to each student.
Under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), a comprehensive school scheme, the union government has relaxed the norms, and is now allowing the states “to spend the balance of the previous year, which is around ₹6,200 crore", said human resource development minister Ramesh Pokhriyal. “An ad-hoc grant of ₹4,450 crore is also being issued for the first quarter." Pokhriyal also requested state education ministers to immediately transfer the amount released under SSA “to the state implementation committee so that it can be utilized properly".
He said considering the “health of students", ration is being provided under mid-day meals “for the children to get adequate and nutritious food". “Approval is being given for providing mid-day meal during summer holidays of schools, on which an additional expenditure of about 1,600 crore will be made. In addition, under the mid-day meals scheme, an ad-hoc grant of ₹2,500 crore is being issued for the first quarter," he added.
To be sure, barring the additional ₹1,600 crore for mid-day meals during the summer months, all other expenses were budgeted for, and is being released quickly in view of the current crisis due to the coronavirus outbreak.
In the meeting, the HRD minister reiterated its earlier stand that several papers of the CBSE Class X and XII board exams will be conducted once the lockdown was lifted, and the situation improves. The ministry had earlier said that of the 76 papers left for CBSE Class X and XII board exams, exams will be conducted for 29 core papers, while for the optional papers marking will be done on the basis of previous performance and class evaluation.
Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia, however, suggested that the remaining papers for both Class X and Class XII board exams should not be conducted due to current difficulties, and students should be promoted based on their internal exams. He also demanded that the school curricula may be curtailed by 30% to reduce the burden on students.
“The school education authorities clarified in the meeting that CBSE board exam of remaining core papers will happen when the lockdown is lifted and situation improves," an HRD ministry spokesperson said.
“Also we have to prepare safety guidelines in case of opening of schools," it said in statement, adding that the minister told the states to start evaluating the answer books of students on papers for which board exams were over.
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