Islamabad: The federal government has allocated Rs117.75 billion for the education sector in the 2026-27 federal budget, reflecting an increase of approximately 4.5 percent compared to Rs112.68 billion allocated in the previous fiscal year.

According to budget documents, funding has been increased for several key areas of education. The development allocation for secondary education has been raised from Rs14.42 billion to Rs16.02 billion, while pre-primary and primary education has been allocated Rs5.22 billion, up from Rs4.83 billion last year.

Higher education received the largest share of the education budget, with Rs84.46 billion allocated compared to Rs82.01 billion in the previous fiscal year. However, some sectors witnessed only marginal increases or slight reductions, indicating that the government has adopted a cautious fiscal approach.

Officials noted that the lack of substantial funding growth since 2017-18 has widened financial gaps within the education system. Under the development budget, Rs46 billion has been earmarked for 131 ongoing projects, while Rs2.2 billion has been allocated for various initiatives under the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, including skills development, innovation, and sports projects.

The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training has been allocated Rs36.3 billion, with a significant portion reserved for the Daanish Schools programme. Funds have also been set aside for new colleges, teacher training initiatives, scholarships, and special education projects.

Overall, the education budget reflects a moderate increase, with a greater focus on sustaining existing programmes rather than launching major new initiatives.

Meanwhile, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has been allocated a total of Rs112 billion. Its development budget has been increased from Rs39.4 billion to Rs46 billion. However, despite repeated requests from the HEC, the recurring grant has remained unchanged at Rs66.4 billion.

The HEC had sought at least Rs100 billion in recurring grants, arguing that universities are facing severe financial pressure due to rising student enrollment, inflation, and increasing operational costs.