The Economic Survey for FY 2023-24, tabled in Parliament on Monday, underscores the need for a coordinated effort among the Centre, states, and local bodies to enhance the quality of education, particularly at the primary level. The survey emphasizes that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 aims to achieve foundational literacy and numeracy for every child by the end of the third grade in the near future. The survey also highlights positive trends in higher education, noting a significant increase in enrolment among underprivileged groups, including Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC), with a particularly notable growth in female enrolment across all categories.

The document highlights that education is crucial for India's development and stresses the importance of mission-mode, cost-effective implementation of well-designed programs to improve primary education quality. It suggests that without a solid foundation in primary education, subsequent years of schooling offer limited value. To address this, the survey calls for a unified approach and collaboration across various government levels, as public education falls under the concurrent list.

To increase the cost-effectiveness of public spending on education, the survey advocates for investments in pedagogy and governance. This includes filling supervisory positions to oversee teaching quality, recognizing both effective and ineffective teacher performance, and employing local volunteers to ensure that teaching meets curricular standards. The document notes that simply completing textbooks does not guarantee that children are meeting expected learning outcomes.

In terms of fiscal investment, the government's spending on social services, including education, increased by 9.36 percent to ₹23.50 lakh crore in FY24 from ₹21.49 lakh crore in FY23. Of this total, ₹8.28 lakh crore was allocated to education, marking an 8 percent rise from the previous year's ₹7.68 lakh crore.