New Delhi: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has called for a major increase in public spending on education, urging the government to allocate at least 6 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product to the sector and strengthen public education institutions.
The demand came during a national online seminar organized by the Markazi Talimi Board of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind. The event discussed a recently released NITI Aayog report titled “School Education System in India: Temporal Analysis and Policy Roadmap for Quality Improvement.”
Presiding over the seminar, Prof Salim Engineer, Chairman of the Markazi Talimi Board, expressed concern over what he described as the gradual withdrawal of the state from public education. He said increasing commercialization and growing centralization within the education system pose serious challenges. He stressed that education is a public right and should not become a profit-driven activity.
Prof Engineer also called for stronger funding for higher education, research, and doctoral studies. He urged authorities to limit corporate influence in educational institutions and promote constitutional values such as justice, equality, liberty, and fraternity.
During the seminar, researcher Zafar-ul-Haq presented findings based on NITI Aayog data. He highlighted weak literacy and numeracy outcomes across several grade levels. According to the data presented, 27 percent of Class III students, nearly 50 percent of Class V students, and 71 percent of Class VII students struggle to read simple Grade II-level text. He also pointed to infrastructure gaps, including thousands of schools lacking electricity, drinking water, separate toilets for girls, or adequate teaching staff.
Markazi Talimi Board Secretary Syed Tanveer Ahmed said the NITI Aayog report identifies key problems, though it does not offer a detailed implementation roadmap. He also noted that teachers spend an average of 28 days each year on non-teaching government duties.
At the conclusion of the seminar, Prof Engineer announced plans to prepare a comprehensive policy draft with support from educational and social organizations. The document will be submitted to the Union Ministry of Education and state education departments for consideration.
