After a prolonged spell of uncertainty, the Kerala government, led by the LDF, has decided to become a signatory to the Central Government’s education programme, PM SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India), effectively setting aside objections raised by the CPI, one of its key coalition partners.
Education Minister V Sivankutty confirmed that the decision to join the scheme has been communicated to the Centre and that the department secretary has been instructed to sign the necessary agreement. “This was the only way to secure the Centre’s share of ₹1,500 crore, which is pending for various educational programmes in Kerala,” the Minister stated.
Although the CPM and the Department of General Education had agreed to join the PM SHRI project much earlier, the state government was forced to withdraw on two previous occasions following strong objections from the CPI. The latest decision to proceed was taken without tabling the matter before the State Cabinet. According to the Minister, there was no requirement for Cabinet approval as the move followed the same procedure adopted by the Agriculture and Higher Education departments when they joined similar central projects.
The decision to join PM SHRI was revived following a meeting between Minister Sivankutty and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Subsequently, Sivankutty also held discussions with the Chief Minister and the CPM leadership before moving forward.
The PM SHRI scheme aims to develop infrastructure in two schools from each block with Central assistance. Each selected school is set to receive an average annual assistance of ₹1 crore for five years.
Initially, the state government had opposed joining the scheme, arguing that it could inadvertently pave the way for the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) in Kerala. Concerns were also raised over the requirement to display boards identifying the schools as ‘PM SHRI Schools.’
However, according to the General Education Department, Kerala’s delay in signing up for PM SHRI had resulted in the suspension of the Centre’s share of ₹1,500 crore earmarked for the implementation of projects under Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK) for the past two years. This financial loss also impacted salary payments for about 6,000 SSK workers, resulting in a financial crisis. In the meantime, the Education Minister ensured that Kerala will not enact any of the provisions of the NEP which the state has refused officially, such as the elimination of historical material from school curricula, even after the inclusion in the PM SHRI scheme.
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