India allocated between 4.1 per cent and 4.6 per cent of the country's GDP between 2015 and 2024 to increase education in the country, according to a new report by UNESCO.
It follows the UN 'Education 2030 Framework for Action', which envisions that countries allocate between 4 per cent and 6 per cent of the GDP towards education.
The spending by government on education remained between 13.5 per cent and 17.2 per cent in the same period, a new series of reports from UNESCO Institute for Statistics on world education statistics reveals.
The reports highlight international trends in educational investment, with special focus on achieving SDG 4--themed 'Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.'
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It indicated the nation has invested heavily in education and was consistent with international benchmarks.
Importantly, India has been investing more in education in terms of both GDP percentage and government expenditure compared with other Central and Southern Asian countries, the report noted.
Allocations of around 4-6 percent of the GDP have been made to education in South Asian countries, including Nepal and Bhutan. Many others have an expenditure not even touching this benchmark when viewed from the expenditure/resource allocation perspective. Afghanistan and Pakistan come close to the bottom.
As a share of total spending, the global average is decreasing. Central and Southern Asia economies spend more relative to spending in the 2010s. It is decreasing in other regions."
Global, the worldwide average of public spending on education has decreased from 13.2 per cent in 2010 to 12.5 per cent in 2020.
According to the data, India's expenditure on education was lower only to Bhutan (7.5 per cent), Kazakhstan (7.2 per cent), Maldives (4.7 per cent), Tajikistan (5.7 per cent) and Uzbekistan (5.2 per cent). The report said India's expenditure on education was higher than countries like China and Japan.
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