Given below are two statements:
Assertion (A): Differences in per capita public expenditure on elementary education across states lead to differences in educational opportunities and attainments across states.
Reason (R): Elementary education takes the least share of total education expenditure in India.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → (A) is true but (R) is false.
Assertion (A): Differences in per capita public expenditure on elementary education across states lead to differences in educational opportunities and attainments across states. — True. Per capita spending on elementary education differs widely across states, and this leads to unequal opportunities and attainments.
Reason (R): Elementary education takes the least share of total education expenditure in India. — False. Elementary education takes the major share; it is higher (tertiary) education whose share is the least.
NCERT (2026-27): “Growth in Government Expenditure on Education: … Elementary education takes a major share of total education expenditure and the share of the higher/tertiary education (institutions of higher learning like colleges, polytechnics and universities) is the least. Though, on an average, the government spends less on tertiary education, ‘expenditure per student’ in tertiary education is higher than that of elementary. This does not mean that financial resources should be transferred from tertiary education to elementary education. As we expand school education, we need more teachers who are trained in the higher educational institutions; therefore, expenditure on all levels of education should be increased. In 2020-21, the per capita public expenditure on elementary education differs considerably across states from as high as Rs 96,968 in Sikkim to as low as Rs 10,710 in Bihar. This leads to differences in educational opportunities and attainments across states.” |