Teachers’ Federation criticises Union Budget for ignoring education needs

The Telangana Progressive Teachers Federation (TPTF) criticised the Union Budget 2026, alleging continued neglect of the education sector. TPTF leader Mutyala Ravinder said that despite India’s claim of being the world’s fourth-largest economy, the government has failed to allocate sufficient funds for education over the past 12 years.

Hyderabad: The Telangana Progressive Teachers’ Federation (TPTF) said the education sector in the country continued to face neglect and injustice in this year’s union budget as well, which was presented on Sunday.

In a statement, TPTF state additional general secretary, Mutyala Ravinder said while the BJP-led NDA government claims that India has emerged as the world’s fourth-largest economic power, it has failed to allocate adequate funds to the education sector during its 12 years of rule.

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Out of the total union budget of Rs 53.5 lakh crore for this year, only Rs 1,39,289 crore was earmarked for the education sector, which was a mere 2.6 per cent of the total budget, he said.

Although this allocation appears numerically higher compared to last financial year’s education budget of Rs 1,28,650 crore out of a total budget of Rs 50.65 lakh crore, there is no real progressive increase when viewed as a proportion of the overall budget, he said.

Unless 6 percent of the budget is allocated, as per the Kothari Commission’s recommendations, no matter how many budget speeches the Finance Minister delivers, education will remain an unattainable dream for the poor and middle-class families at the ground level, he said, adding that only when a minimum of 6 per cent allocation is ensured in the budget can India achieve all-round development across sectors, he added.