Gender Budget Initiative in India—Education sector insights

1. Gender Budget Initiative in India—Education sector insights Manju Senapaty DFID India

2. Plan of Presentation • What and Why gender budget analysis • Tools for gender budgeting • Gender Mainstreaming in the Government of India • Finance Minister’s Budget speech and gender • GBI in India--GBA of the GOI Budget at the National level & State level • Findings from the Education sector -micro level • Summary & issues for future strategy

3. What & Why:gender budgets? • Not separate budgets for women • Why need: gaps between policy pronouncements, resource allocation and outcomes on gender equality • Gender mainstreaming of national development plans

4. Aims of Gender Budget Analysis • Close gaps/improve links between policy pronouncements, resource allocation and outcomes on gender equality • Key tool for sensitisation of various stakeholders • Govts-tool for effective policy implementation • CSOs: Key tool for assertion of rights, through a participatory process of reshaping budgets. Can it be a tool for pro-poor human development?

5. Tools for gender budgeting • Gender aware policy appraisal • Beneficiary-assessment approach –for public services delivery and budget priorities • Public expenditure incidence analysis • Public Revenue Incidence Analysis • Gender Aware Budget Statement

6. Gender Mainstreaming in the Government of India • Separate Department of W & CD • Committee on Empowerment of Women constituted in the Lok Sabha (Lower House) • Committee for Gender mainstreaming: monitors 27 beneficiary oriented schemes of Ministries • Constitution (73rd and 74th Amendment) Act, 1992 provides for 33% reservation in all three tiers of Panchayati Raj and ULBs

7. Mainstreaming gender—FM’s Budget speech (00-01) • Specific brief section ‘empowerment of women’ –Task force announced • other references: under some elements of social and economic infrastructure: health, education,drinking water, housing and roads. Budgets for these increased. • Development Strategy for the next decade: no reference to empowerment of women or gender mainstreaming

8. GOI Budget 2002-03 and broad allocations • Total budget outlay of GOI: Rs. 4105 bn (£ 60 bn.) • Largest share Ministry of Finance: 46%, large interest payments • Ministry of Defence: 19% • Balance 32% for all other Ministries & Depts. (Rural & social: 11%)

9. Work on Gender Budget Analysis in South Asia (India) • First Regional meeting in July 2000 in New Delhi –India level initiatives • Beginning –Economic Survey 2001-02 • Annual Report of D/WCD 2001-02 • Sectoral & programme analysis • GBA proposed at the State level and HDRs • Second regional meeting in Nepal, Oct 2001 Similar work in Nepal and Sri Lanka

10. Categorisation of GOI Budget for GBA • Category I: schemes explicitly mentioned as women specific schemes in budget allocation of concerned Ministries • Category II:schemes not completely focused on women but schemes with components on women (GOI calls it pro-women schemes) • Category III: Ministries, with no explicit listing of women specific schemes & no women components

11. GBA--GOI Budget • Few Ministries (6 / 45) have women exclusive schemes; total budget outlay for such schemes— 1 % of total GOI budget. • Some Ministries with specific woman component (30%) schemes: (e.g.HRD+RD+H&FW= 7.5%) • Large no. of Ministries with no women specific or woman component scheme. (WCD: 0.5% of GOI Budget)

12. Gender analysis of State Budgets • Preliminary results available: Share of Women specific and pro-women (Cat 1 and Cat II) schemes in state budgets (01-02): MP 2.4 Orissa 0.7 West Bengal 17.1

13. Education Sector---Findings from Field study DPEP— • Contextual • focus on female literacy • Objectives –access, equity, quality, retention and achievement levels (gender aware) • Multi donor funding • Regular JRMs (specific focus on gender gaps)

14. Expenditure under DPEP-MP (2001) • Expenditure of Rs 300 million per district over 5/7 years of the programme • More than 70% of exp on civil works, equipment, vehicles, furniture, salaries of teachers, additional staff and O&M etc. • Books and TLM about 10%; Teacher training: 7% • Community Mobilisation: 2% • Direct expenditure on promoting girls education and empowerment-small % about 3%

15. Education Sector---Findings from Field study contd. JRMs suggest and Field study confirms: • Awareness about education increased • VECs meetings • Facilities improved—school buildings, toilets • Child friendly TLM, teachers training • Monitoring mechanisms developed • Enrollmernt of girls and boys increased

16. BUT • Even after 3-4 years of implementation VEC women members not clear about their roles (Male members vocal) • Parents willing (D& S Myth) but eldest daughter’s plight linked to opportunity costs of education • In MP: 79% of girls drop out because of demand factors: sibling care (23%), economic activities (20%), financial condition (14%), cattle grazing (13%) , migration (9%)—but DPEP still supply focussed

17. Outside education factors affecting education • During initial reforms phase, PDS prices and food prices increased—causing hardship for families (mainly for women) • Change in work patterns of women-uncertain • In MP, one village-drinking of men and violence against women major problem. • In states like Haryana—social beliefs (super power-no brain) and poverty affect girls more—(2-3 sisters married at the same time, eldest daughter-sibling care) ; low self esteem-roll Roti

18. Education Sector---Findings from Field study contd. • BAS and JRMs pick up the supply side reasons and initiatives • But for demand side factors—detailed beneficiary oriented impact evaluations required and mechanisms to feed it back into the programme. Influencing parents about girls education left to gender coordinators—who got very small % of the budget and last call on the vehicle for visits. • For reducing gender gaps: think beyond education box: we need to go cross sectoral—factors outside education affect opportunity costs and demand side.

19. Summary and Issues for future strategy--I • Substantial effort by GOI at mainstreaming; explicitly stated as an objective • GBI started –GOI, state and programme level; but requires careful social audit of budgets which is holistic/comprehensive • Share of budget in women exclusive schemes and pro-poor low-but possibility of re-orientation within • How to introduce gender focus in Ministries with ‘Gender-neutral schemes’- especially in ‘economic’ or ‘growth oriented’ Ministries-Industry, Commerce, IT, Finance etc.

20. Summary and Issues for future strategy--II II- Data requirements for gender-sensitive budget analysis • Identify data requirements • Examine existing procedures • Identify gaps • Establish procedures for gaps—role of CSO

21. Summary and Issues for future strategy--III III Capacity building on GBA • at GOI, State and local govt. level • Participation of people, CSOs in appraising/ critiquing existing budgets, listing priorities, budgets to meet their priorities, and ultimately feeding into state/national budgets • Transparency of budgets • Right to Information

22. Summary and Issues for future strategy--IV IV—DFID specific: • Greater enthusiasm in designing a programme—Can GBA help evaluate & suggest expenditure changes that are appropriate (socially inclusive & pro-poor)—link with IDTs and MDGs • Tool for involving Civil society in Public Exps.? • Tool for cross sectoral analysis and convergence? • What can GBA help achieve in the context of Direct Budgetary support and fiduciary risk? What should be the framework for analysis in DBS context ?