Wed Jan 14 03:48:54 UTC 2026: # Haryana’s Education Sector Faces Funding Cuts and Staffing Crisis, Claims Former Minister

The Story:

Former Haryana Minister and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) national patron Sampat Singh has accused the Haryana state government of neglecting the education sector. In a press conference held on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, Singh stated that the government has drastically reduced education funding and shifted responsibility to private entities. He pointed to audited reports indicating a decrease in the education budget from 11.9% to 8.7% in 2023-24, with unaudited reports pending for 2024-25. This neglect, according to Singh, spans all levels of education, from pre-primary to university.

Key Points:

  • Education budget share decreased from 11.9% to 8.7% between previous time frame and 2023-24.
  • 40,671 out of 1,22,359 sanctioned school teacher posts are vacant.
  • Infrastructure is crumbling due to lack of maintenance, with over 500 schools waterlogged during the last monsoon.
  • While the number of government colleges has increased from 66 in 2004 to 186 currently, many operate from primary school buildings due to lack of infrastructure.
  • 85 government colleges lack principals, and 56% of teacher posts are vacant in both government and government-aided colleges.
  • The number of universities has increased from 5 to 23 since 2004, but they face financial and infrastructure problems.
  • Grants-in-aid to universities have been stopped since 2022, replaced by loans insufficient to cover staff salaries, and over 50% of teaching posts remain vacant.

Key Takeaways:

  • Haryana’s education system is facing a significant funding crisis, leading to infrastructure decay and staffing shortages.
  • The shift towards increasing the number of educational institutions appears to have prioritized quantity over quality.
  • The reliance on loans instead of grants for universities raises concerns about their long-term financial stability.

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