The Union Budget 2026–27 shows a clear difference in how the government is spending on education. School-level programmes, aimed at preventing dropouts and encouraging innovation, have kept their funding steady or even increased. At the same time, scholarships for minority students studying higher education or professional courses have been cut sharply. This has raised concerns about whether students from economically weaker backgrounds will continue to get support to pursue higher studies.
Minority higher education scholarships take a big hit
The Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for Professional and Technical Courses, which provides support to minority students in engineering, medical, and management courses, has seen its funding fall drastically. It went down from Rs 7.34 crore in 2025–26 to just Rs 0.06 crore in 2026–27—a drop of more than 99 percent. At this level, the scheme is almost non-functional, leaving many students without financial help to pursue professional studies.The Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF), which helps minority students pursuing MPhil and PhD research, also received less funding. Its allocation dropped from Rs 42.84 crore to Rs 36.14 crore, a fall of about 16 percent. These fellowships are important for students who need support over several years to complete research work. Cuts here could slow down the number of minority students reaching higher research levels.Pre and post-matric scholarships for minority students show another problem: very little of the allocated money is actually being used. The budget for the Post-Matric Scholarship in 2025-26 was Rs 413.99 crore, but only Rs 0.06 crore was actually spent. The same thing happened to the Pre-Matric Scholarship. There could be some delays in the administration, some complexities in the procedures, or some changes in the way the schemes are administered.
School-level programmes keep growing
In contrast, school-level education programmes are doing well. The National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMS) scheme, which provides assistance to students belonging to economically weaker sections from Class IX to XII, received a slight increase in funding from Rs 374 crore in 2025-26 to Rs 381 crore in 2026-27. Even a small increase ensures that students at risk of dropping out continue to get financial support.Other school programmes also got more funding. Samagra Shiksha, which covers primary to secondary education, received Rs 42,100 crore, up from Rs 38,000 crore. PM POSHAN, the mid-day meal scheme, was allocated Rs 12,750 crore, and PM SHRI, for model schools under the NEP, got Rs 7,500 crore. Innovation-focused programmes like Atal Tinkering Labs jumped from Rs 500 crore to Rs 3,200 crore, showing a clear focus on hands-on learning, creativity, and skill-building.
What this means for students and schools
The budget shows a clear priority: schools, infrastructure, and innovation get attention, while financial support for minority students pursuing professional courses or research has been reduced. This could make it harder for students from minority and weaker economic backgrounds to move up in education and reach professional or research careers.While investing in schools is important to stop dropouts and encourage creativity, students who rely on scholarships for higher studies may now face challenges. Reduced funding for fellowships and professional scholarships could slow down the number of minority students entering advanced courses or research programs.
A mixed picture for education in India
On the whole, the 2026-27 Budget conveys a mixed signal. School-level programs are keeping pace and growing to ensure access, nutrition, and innovation opportunities for millions of students. However, the drastic reduction in higher education scholarships for minority students conveys a gap that may impact equality in professional courses and research access.Policymakers, educators, and parents now face the task of bridging this gap. It will be important to ensure that progress in schools is translated into actual opportunities in higher education. Otherwise, students from minority and weaker sections may continue to face difficulties in professional courses and research careers, despite overall progress in education.
