Only Rs 1.15 crore was spent under the Scheme for Universal Access and Quality at the Secondary Stage (SUCCESS) in 2007-08 as opposed to the allocated amount of 1,305 crore for the same year.

An additional allocation of Rs 2,235 crore has been made in the 2008-09 budget despite severe under-spending.

Despite tall claims made by Finance Minister P Chidambaram about the government’s commitment to education, the promise made by the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP) to allocate six per cent of the GDP as a public resource for education will remain a pipedream. The combined outlay for the Education Departments of the Centre and the states hovers at a meagre 2.84 per cent of the GDP.

Even the outlay for the much-hyped Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan decreased from Rs 12,020 crore in 2007-08 to Rs 11,940 crore in 2008-09. Direct contribution from the  through education cess is equal to 60 per cent of the outlay on elementary education this year.

The priority given to education in total public spending in the country continues to be low. The combined budget outlay for education departments as a proportion of the Union Budget and the budgets of all states has remained at around 10 per cent between 2005-06 to 2007-08.

The Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability has observed that the Model School programme, was inadequate to address the need for quality education in the country.