Outlay for general education goes up in Kerala Budget

The Revised Budget presented by Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan in the Kerala Assembly on Friday has enhanced the outlay for general education for the 2026-27 financial year, allocating ₹1,477.57 crore. An amount of ₹1,032.28 crore has been earmarked for further improving the quality and academic standards of school education.

The Chief Minister said children’s participation in sports and games will be made a part of the school curriculum. An amount ₹8 crore has been allocated for improving physical fitness through progressive and sustainable infrastructure and nurturing sporting talents.

Menstrual hygiene

Referring to the ‘Menstrual Hygiene Initiative for Empowering Girls’, the Chief Minister said its primary objective of is to promote and ensure menstrual hygiene among girls. Other objectives of the scheme include ensuring the availability of sanitary napkins to all girls; providing facilities for their safe and environment-friendly disposal; maintaining clean and hygienic school toilets; creating girl-friendly campuses; generating awareness; conducting workshops; and ensuring State and district-level monitoring.

Steps will be taken to grant aided status to eligible special schools.

However, the former Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty has criticised the Budget saying it neglected the school education sector. The Budget, he said, lacked vision and new quality schemes. There were no bold decisions like the ones taken by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) that had raised school education in Kerala to the forefront nationally.

There was nothing in the announcements for raising the quality of pre-primary or school education, teacher welfare, or expanding digital education. The revised Budget completely ignored the comprehensive accident/life insurance scheme for schoolstudents from Classes I to XII in government, aided, and government-approved schools following the State syllabus, which had been announced by the previous LDF government.