After much indecisiveness, the LDF government in Kerala has decided to join the PM SHRI (PM’s Schools for Rising India) scheme in state schools, setting aside objections from its ally CPI.
Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Sunday said that the state has informed the Union government in this regard and directed officials to sign the agreement, noting that this was necessary to access Rs 1,500 crore in pending central funds for education projects. He said that joining the Union government’s scheme is the only practical way to get the due funds and that it would not make any difference to the existing education policy in Kerala.
“This was the only way to secure the Centre’s share of 1,500 crore, which is pending for various educational programmes in Kerala,” Sivankutty said. However, he made it clear that Kerala will not implement NEP provisions that the state has rejected, including changes to history content, even after joining the scheme.
Strong opposition from the CPI had forced the LDF government to abandon plans to implement the scheme at least twice.
PM SHRI will fund infrastructure upgrades in two schools per block, with each receiving about Rs 1 crore annually for five years. The LDF government had earlier opposed the scheme, fearing it would push the NEP and require schools to display PM SHRI boards. The delay, however, led the Centre to withhold funds under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), thereby affecting the salaries of 6,000 employees.
Meanwhile, the student wing of the CPI, AISF, has opposed the state government’s move to implement the PM SHRI scheme in Kerala. The AISF state executive said the government’s move to implement the PM SHRI scheme in Kerala is unacceptable and criticised the minister for violating his assurance to student organisations.