Union Human Resource Development minister Prakash Javadekar said that the government expenditure on education has gone up from 3.8 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2014 to 4.6 per cent under the current government.
Speaking at the convocation ceremony of D Y Patil University in Navi Mumbai on Sunday, he said: “It is our priority that 6 per cent of GDP should be allotted to education…While total expenditure by central and state governments on education was 3.8 per cent of GDP in 2014, it has increased to 4.6 per cent now. This indicates that we are progressing towards 6 per cent.”
“We are making continuous efforts to improve educational facilities….Seven new IITs, seven new IIMs, two new NITs (National Institutes of Technology), three central universities and around 125 Kendriya Vidyalayas have been started. The portal SWAYAM offers 2,000 courses and “like ATM, this is ATL ‘Anytime Learning’ for everyone for free”, Javadekar said.
The BJP leader also made a controversial statement while pointing out that over 200 of 900 universities in the country have adopted Indian costume for convocation. He said he is confident that “D Y Patil University too would conduct their convocation ceremony in Indian costume from next year”.