Budget 2026: College enrolment rises, but classrooms and labs fall behind, warn experts

Union Budget of India: With the Union Budget 2026 approaching, education experts have called on the government to move beyond expanding enrolment and instead prioritise quality education, infrastructure development and future-ready skills, citing India’s young demographic profile and the rapid expansion of its higher education system.

India has the world’s second-largest education system, with nearly 40% of its population below the age of 25. In the previous Budget, the education sector was allocated Rs 1.28 lakh crore, a 6.22% increase over the year before, including Rs 50,077.95 crore earmarked for higher education.

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According to the Economic Survey 2024–25, the number of higher education institutions in the country rose 13.8% over the past eight years, while the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) increased from 23.7% to 28.4% during the same period.

Dr P R Sodani, president of the Indian Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR) University, speaking to PTI, said higher public investment in education and healthcare was critical for strengthening human capital.

"Spending should focus on building skilled talent, digital transformation and institutional capacity," he said.

Sodani added that Budget 2026 could prove to be a turning point if it prioritises infrastructure development, digital and multilingual education, and better prepares students for a knowledge-driven economy.

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However, experts cautioned that infrastructure development has lagged behind rising enrolments. "Access has expanded, but infrastructure such as labs, hostels and student facilities has not kept pace with enrolment growth," Pankaj Priya, deputy director and dean (academics) at BIMTECH, told PTI.

Priya said the upcoming Budget should place greater emphasis on capacity-building, research and employability outcomes. "The next phase of reform must pivot towards quality, deep research capacity and strong employability outcomes, not just expanding access," he said.

He also underscored the need to align academic curricula with emerging technologies such as generative AI and machine learning, in keeping with the objectives of the National Education Policy 2020.

Get the latest on Budget 2026 and related developments here.