NITI Education Report - 2026 / a Supplement from 1985

 Unfinished Recommendations from 1985 

  —   A Supplement to Your 2026 School Education Report

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Shri Ashok Kumar Lahiriji

Vice Chairman - NITI  Aayog [ vch-niti@gov.in  ]

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Dear Sir,

I write with reference to the NITI Aayog report titled :

'School Education System in India:

 = Temporal Analysis and Policy Roadmap for Quality Enhancement,'

- released on May 6, 2026

 It is a comprehensive and valuable document, and I congratulate  your team

 on the rigour of its analysis.

I am writing not to critique that report, but to draw your attention to a small set of

 specific recommendations that, to my knowledge, remain unaddressed in India's

 education policy — and which your report does not yet cover.

In November 1985, along with two colleagues — Mr. I.R. Sethi and Mr. V.K.

 Mahajan — I submitted a policy document titled :

"  Challenge of Education: A Policy  Perspective " 

 - to Professor Ashok Chandra, Educational Advisor (Technical), Ministry

 of Education, Government of India. 

Challenge of Education  

That document was prepared without the benefit of computers, internet, or

 large research teams — relying entirely on census data, Plan documents, and

budget records compiled manually.

Forty years later, I find that several of its recommendations remain not just

 relevant, but urgent — and conspicuously absent from current policy discourse:

 Education Policy Resouce Questionnaire 

1. RURAL EDUCATION EXPENDITURE PARITY

In 1970-71, rural areas (with 80% of population) received only 44% of total

 education expenditure. We recommended that rural education spending be raised

 to match the urban level — a 176% increase. In 2026, rural-urban educational

 inequality persists. Your report notes the digital divide between states but does

 not propose a financing mechanism to correct it.

2. NATIONAL MINIMUM PER-CAPITA EDUCATION SPEND

We documented that UP spent ₹40.5 per capita on education vs Kerala's ₹119.5 in

 1982-83 — a nearly 3x gap. We recommended that no state be permitted to

 spend below the national average. This floor mechanism has never been enacted.

 Your report notes state-level disparities but stops short of this specific remedy.

3. AGRICULTURAL VOCATIONAL INSTITUTES IN RURAL AREAS

We proposed setting up rural Agricultural Vocational Institutes covering

 horticulture, animal husbandry, forestry, biogas, aquaculture, and food

 preservation — funded through a modest tax on farm income. In 2026, rural

 youth still migrate to cities for any form of vocational training. This gap has never

 been addressed by any policy document I am aware of.

4. 150% WEIGHTED INCOME TAX DEDUCTION FOR EDUCATIONAL DONATIONS

We documented that private donations as a share of total education expenditure

 had collapsed from 25% (1900) to just 3% (1980). We recommended a 150%

 weighted deduction under the Income Tax Act — for both capital and revenue

 expenditure — to reverse this. No such instrument exists today.

5. CHANNELLING PRIVATE CAPITAL INTO EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

We estimated that achieving desired educational growth by 1990-91 would require

 roughly ₹30,000 crores — far beyond government capacity. We proposed allowing

 individuals and trusts to invest in educational institutions without scrutiny of the

 income source, with a guaranteed 5% tax-free return for 10 years. Whatever

 one's view on the black-money dimension, the underlying mechanism —

 attracting large private capital into education with a guaranteed return — is a

 financing model worth revisiting in today's context.

6. INDUSTRY ADOPTION OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

We proposed a structured framework under which industrial houses would formally

 adopt existing colleges and polytechnics — funding teacher training, sponsoring

 students for advanced programmes, and integrating project work into curricula.

 Your report mentions industry linkage as desirable but does not operationalise

 this.

I am not suggesting that these recommendations are perfect or that they have no

 complexities. I am suggesting that they represent a set of specific, costed, and

 actionable proposals that deserve fresh examination in light of your 2026

 roadmap.

I would be happy to share the full original document if that would be useful to your

 team. I am also available for any discussion you may find worthwhile.

With warm regards,

Hemen C. Parekh

www.HemenParekh.ai / www.YourContentCreator.in / www.My-Teacher.in 

Original reports : 

>  Education Policy Resouce Questionnaire

>  Challenge of Education  

Authors :  Hemen Parekh / Inder Sethi / Vijay Mahajan { all ex L&T  }

Reference :

Education Policy : 41 Year Journey ( 1985 - 2006 )