‘Education expenses are increasing more than income’, Congress gives new reason for protest

Congress claims that the expenditure on education is increasing faster than the family income. The protests at Jantar Mantar and other places were due to rigging in the examination system, but the anger of youth and parents over rising education expenditure is also a reason.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the youth and their parents are demanding immediate corrective steps on the issues of access to education and affordability. He said, ‘Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy’ (CMIE) has recently done a detailed analysis of domestic expenditure data between 2014-15 to 2025-26. Its findings are extremely serious. Expenditure on education is increasing much faster than household income. “Families are spending a larger share of their income on education than before.”

Also read: Karunanidhi’s granddaughter slaps bank manager, creates ruckus over viral video

Families spending the most on education: Jairam Ramesh

Jairam Ramesh further said that private tuition has become the fastest growing segment of household expenditure on education. School and college fees have increased continuously during the last decade. This is more than the increase in household income.

Jairam Ramesh says that the expenditure on books is increasing even faster than this. The reasons behind this are the rising prices of textbooks and reference books, increasing expenses on preparation for competitive exams and expenditure on additional study materials.

Also read: Do you know these stories of Prahlad Joshi, who replaced Dharmendra Pradhan?

‘Access to education is also a reason for protest’

Jairam Ramesh said, ‘The immediate cause of the protests at Jantar Mantar and other places in recent weeks is the alleged unfair and rigged examination system implemented by the Prime Minister and the (former) Education Minister, but behind the pain, anxiety and anger of the youth and their parents are much deeper reasons related to access and affordability of education. These are brought out by CMIE’s household expenditure figures. They are now demanding immediate corrective action.