Education Budget: Widening Gap Between Spending and Learning Outcomes

India's education budget has grown 40% in five years, but learning outcomes continue to decline — raising fundamental questions about expenditure efficiency.

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The Breakdown Editorial
14 July 2026

Key Takeaways

India's education budget has grown 40% in five years, but learning outcomes continue to decline — raising fundamental questions about expenditure efficiency.

  • Education budget increased 40% over 5 years to ₹1.48 lakh crore
  • NEP 2020 implementation faces delays in 14 states
  • Learning outcomes continue to decline despite increased spending
  • Higher education receives 40% of budget, school education 60%

Key Numbers

₹1.48 lakh croreTotal Education Budget (2025-26)Union Budget
2.9%Education as Percentage of GDPEconomic Survey
60%School Education ShareBudget Documents
40%Higher Education ShareBudget Documents

Timeline

2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

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The Breakdown Editorial