ISLAMABAD: The Federal Government has allocated Rs117.75 billion for the education sector in the budget for fiscal year 2026-27, indicating an increase of approximately 4.5 percent compared to Rs112.68 billion allocated in the previous fiscal year.
The move underlines the government’s commitment to supporting education while maintaining a cautious fiscal approach amid economic challenges.
In this regard, the funding has been increased for several key areas of education. The development budget for secondary education has been raised from Rs14.42 billion to Rs16.02 billion, indicating a focus on improving educational infrastructure and services at the secondary level.
Similarly, allocations for pre-primary and primary education have increased to Rs5.22 billion from Rs4.83 billion in the previous year.
In this sense, higher education continues to receive the largest share of education-related funding. The government has earmarked Rs84.46 billion for the sector, up from Rs82.01 billion last year.
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has been allocated a total of Rs112 billion. Of this amount, the development budget has been increased significantly from Rs39.4 billion to Rs46 billion.
However, the recurring grant for universities has remained unchanged at Rs66.4 billion despite repeated requests from the HEC for an increase.
The commission had sought at least Rs100 billion in recurring grants, arguing that rising student enrollment, inflation, and increasing operational costs have placed universities under considerable financial pressure.
Meanwhile, under the HEC’s development allocation, Rs46 billion has been designated for 131 ongoing projects, while Rs2.2 billion has been allocated for various initiatives under the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme.
These initiatives include skills development, innovation, and sports-related projects aimed at empowering young people across the country.
So far, the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training has been allocated Rs36.3 billion. The significant portion of this funding will support the expansion of Daanish Schools, while additional resources have been earmarked for new colleges, teacher training programs, scholarships, and special education initiatives.
The education budget for FY2026-27 reflects moderate growth, with the government prioritizing the continuation and strengthening of existing educational systems rather than launching major new projects.
