Karnataka was third last in terms of spending on higher education, according to a recently released NITI Aayog policy report of ‘Expanding Quality Higher Education through States and State Public Universities.’
According to the data for 2020-21, despite being a major hub of higher education in the country, Karnataka spent only 2.01% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on higher education. Jammu and Kashmir spent the highest – 8.11% of the GDP, followed by Manipur (7.25%), Meghalaya (6.64%), and Tripura (6.19%) according to the report. Below Karnataka were Delhi with 1.67% and Telangana with 2%.
In the same period, Karnataka also allocated ₹5,129 crore in its Budget for higher education. Maharashtra led in funding with ₹11,421 crore, followed by Bihar ₹9,666 crore, and Tamil Nadu ₹7,237 crore, the report said.
“The Karnataka government is allocating only 12% of its State Budget for the education sector every year. Out of this, 70% of the funds are allocated for school education, while the remaining 30% is allocated for higher education. This will be a setback for the development of the higher education sector, especially when government colleges and public universities are facing a shortage of funds. The State government should allocate 26% of its Budget for the education sector,” said Sripada Bhat, an educationist.
However, Karnataka led in college density in India with with 66 colleges per one lakh eligible population (18-23 years of age), which was more than twice the national average of 30.
Though India advanced in terms of improving the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER,) in higher education, the progress was not uniform across all States. Tamil Nadu had shown maximum improvement with a GER of 47%, while Karnataka had 36.2% GER, which was considerably higher than the national average of 28.4%, the report said.
“Between 1950-51 and 2021-22, GER in India increased 71 times.The National Education Policy (NEP-2020) aims to achieve GER of 50% by 2035,” the report said.
In pupil-teacher ratio, Karnataka was among the best performers. Against the national average of 23:1, it stood at 15:1 in Karnataka. Tamil Nadu led with a pupil-teacher ratio of 14:1.
As per the report, Karnataka had 11% of the top 100 universities in the country, while Tamil Nadu topped with 22%. India has 495 State Public Universities (SPS), with Karnataka leading with 43, followed by West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh 38 each.
Meanwhile, the NITI Aayog has praised the ‘English Skills for Youth’ programme in Karnataka, which was launched in 2024.
“The Government of Karnataka launched four programmes in 2024, aimed at advancing higher education, enhancing language proficiency, and improving employability for students while fostering their seamless transition into the workforce. The ‘English Skills for Youth’ programme, in partnership with Microsoft India, targeted 5,795 students across 16 government engineering colleges, enhancing their English proficiency and workplace readiness through blended learning modules. The initiatives included the ‘Scholars for Outstanding Undergraduate Talent (SCOUT)‘ programme which offered international exposure through a two-week immersive learning experience at the University of East London for deserving students from six universities, focusing on UNSDGs, critical thinking, and innovation,” the report said.
Further it stated that, the Capacity Building for International Officers programme supported internationalisation efforts in 28 universities, and the Freemium Digital Library Wall at Bengaluru City University which expanded access to digital learning resources.
Published – February 14, 2025 07:00 am IST
