Expenditure on higher education increased 15%: Minister

The government's per capita spending on higher education has increased by 15 per cent in the last two years, Minister of State for Human Resource Development Satyapal Singh informed Parliament on Monday.

According to the numbers presented by him, the government spent Rs 50,665 per person on higher education in 2015-16 against Rs 43,948 in 2013-14.

The government spending for 2011-12, 2012-13, 2014-15 on higher education was Rs 33,669, Rs 39,059, and Rs 44,473, respectively.

On primary education, the government spending for the previous five years up to 2015-16, according to the Minister, was Rs 12,510, Rs 11,469, Rs 9,223, Rs 7,985, and Rs 7,494.

As for secondary education, the funds for same years were Rs 21,501, Rs 19,841, Rs 17,955, Rs 16,483, while for the year 2011-12 figures were not given.

"Further, Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) has been set up by the government to mobilise funds from the market as per requirements of the centrally-funded higher educational institutions," Singh said.

"The budget 2018-19 has announced to raise Rs 1,00,000 crore through HEFA to fund educational institutes to fast-track research and academic infrastructure," he added.

-- IANS

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