Wants hike in education cess too

NEW DELHI: If the Left has its way, there will be an increase in the education cess. The government has already collected Rs 6,200 crore via this route for funding elementary education.

In its pre-budget memorandum to the government, the Left has said that additional funds for expanding secondary and higher education should be generated by ���increasing the education cess���.

The Left said that expenditure has to increase substantially in order to meet the commitment of spending 6% of GDP on education: ���As the Right to Education has already been mandated by Article 21A, it is essential to ensure that sufficient funds are allocated to enable access to good public school education to all.���