The federal budget for 2024-25 has allocated Rs. 66.3 billion to the Higher Education Commission, which is an 11 percent increase from the Rs. 59.7 billion in the previous fiscal year.
The budget for Education Affairs and Services in 2024-25 is set at Rs. 103.781 billion, showing a marginal increase of 0.9 percent compared to the revised allocation of Rs. 103.684 billion for the current fiscal year.
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Despite these increases, the overall education expenditures by federal and provincial governments have declined as a percentage of GDP. In fiscal year 2023, these expenditures were estimated at 1.5 percent of GDP, down from 1.7 percent in the previous year, making it the lowest in the region.
A significant portion of the budget, Rs. 79.312 billion, is allocated to Tertiary Education Affairs and Services for 2024-25, comprising 76.5 percent of the total allocation in this category.
For pre-primary and primary education affairs, Rs. 5.224 billion is earmarked for 2024-25, up from Rs. 4.468 billion in 2023-24. Secondary Education Affairs and Services will receive Rs. 12.624 billion in 2024-25, compared to Rs. 10.778 billion in 2023-24. Additionally, Rs. 4.497 billion is allocated for administration in 2024-25, an increase from the revised Rs. 2.844 billion in 2023-24.
Following the 18th Constitutional amendment, education is primarily a provincial responsibility, with the federal government focusing mainly on higher education.
The budget documents also reveal that Rs. 66.315 billion has been allocated under the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP).
