Pitching for reforms in the education system, former Maharashtra additional chief secretary Leena Mehendale said the budgetary allocation for the sector should be increased five-fold.

"Bring in reforms in education, increase budget five-folds and give many-fold increase to the budget of vocational education," she said.

Emphasis should be given on the use of TV for cost-reduction of vocational education and private TV channels should be asked to use 10 per cent of their time on this, she said.

"The 'atrocious system' of examination should be revamped and made user-friendly and a suitable certification and equivalence system between non-formal and formal education should be created," she said.

"The government should strictly implement the Unnikrishnan judgement on capitation fee of Supreme Court even at school level to stop the menace of capitation fee in schools," Mehendale said.

"Private institutions sought and got the status of deemed university and unilaterally started acting as if the judgement does not apply to them. The government has connived at them. They should be brought under the fold once again," she said.

The government should stop supporting costly schools by land-grant, tax-exemptions, recognition and instead give premium for education in mother-tongue, she said.

She added that creating adequate facilities for sanitation, hygiene, sports and arts in schools, providing for adequate creches for working parents and supporting small-duration classes for children of wandering labour like sugar-cane harvesters should be a part of the reforms.

Emphasis should be given on value education and inculcating values like truth, equality, non-violence, harmony, nationalism, freedom, friendship, efficiency and commitment, Mehendale, a member of the Central Administrative Tribunal, said.