NITI Aayog’s Report on Higher Education Expenditure
Context
The NITI Aayog’s report titled ‘Expanding Quality Higher Education through States and State Public Universities’ provides a detailed analysis of state-level spending on higher education in India.
Key-highlights
Top States for Education Expenditure (as a Percentage of GDP):Jammu & Kashmir leads with 8.11% of GDP spent on education, followed by:
Manipur (7.25%)
Meghalaya (6.64%)
Tripura (6.19%)
States like Delhi (1.67%), Telangana (2%), and Karnataka (2.01%) allocate much less.
Expenditure Trends:Per youth expenditure on higher education rose from Rs. 2,174 to Rs. 4,921 between 2005-06 and 2019-20, but disparities across states have grown.
Maharashtra has the highest higher education budget at Rs. 11,421 crore, followed by Bihar (Rs.9,666 crore) and Tamil Nadu (Rs.7,237 crore).
Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland have the smallest budgets.
GSDP Spending:Bihar spends 1.56% of its GSDP on higher education, followed by Jammu & Kashmir (1.53%) and Manipur (1.45%).
Telangana has the lowest at 0.18%.
University Density:Sikkim has the highest university density (10.3 universities per 1 lakh population), while Bihar has the lowest at 0.2.
Gender Equality in Higher Education:Kerala, Chhattisgarh, and Himachal Pradesh have higher female enrollment than male. UTs like Chandigarh and Mizoram have balanced male-female enrollments.
Policy Recommendations from NITI Aayog's Report on Higher Education Expenditure
NITI Aayog's report on higher education spending provides nearly 80 policy recommendations aimed at improving the quality, accessibility, and funding of higher education in India, particularly through State Public Universities (SPUs).
The key policy areas include:
Increase in Funding and Allocation
Focus on Quality and Infrastructure
Promotion of Research and Development (R&D)
Improved Industry-Academia Collaboration
Enhancing Gender Equality in Education
Encouraging Private Investment
Improved University Density in Overcrowded States
Strengthening the Higher Education Regulatory Framework