National Coalition for Education (NCE), India organized door to door campaign during the budget session of parliament from 2nd Jan to 4th Jan 2018 in New Delhi. The objective of the campaign was to lobby with the members of parliament to raise the issues of allocation of the inadequate education budget in the Indian parliament.
NCE representatives met the MPs listed under Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance at their residences and offices. It was not new to know that many of the MPs do not feel to fund public education. Some of them have expressed their interest to take the question to Parliament.
Following demand has been presented to MPs during the meetings-
- to spend adequate fund to elementary level in line with enrolment.
- to spend the entire amount of Education CESS on Education itself, without diverting it to any other area.
- to ensure proper allocation and spending of funds without any deficits, as recommended in 12th FYP.
- to allocate 100 percent of approved budget to education.
- to treat every child as equal and increase per student expenditure at par with Kendriya Vidyalaya.
It was also experienced that current political party in the center does not intend to invest in the public education system and MPs associated with Bharatiya Janata Party does come forward to take these issues in the parliament except few.
List of MPs whom NCE representative met during the campaign-
- Mr. Shyama Charan Gupta, Bharatiya Janata Party, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh
- Mr. Ajay Sancheti, Bharatiya Janata Party, Maharashtra
- Mr. Shri Bhartruhari Mahtab, Biju Janata Dal, Cuttack, Odisha
- Prof. Saugata Roy, All India Trinamool Congress, Dum Dum, West Bengal
- Mr. Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Bharatiya Janata Party, Saran (Bihar)
- Dr. Kirit Premjibhai Solanki, Bharatiya Janata Party, Ahmedabad West, Gujarat