In a significant policy reversal, the CPI(M)-led Kerala government has decided to join the Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme, citing an urgent need for funds to pay teacher salaries and provide student grants. The move ends a prolonged standoff during which the state had denounced the scheme as a tool for the “saffronisation” of education.
The state’s reluctance to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union Education Ministry had led the central government to withhold the release of over ₹1,000 crore earmarked for Kerala’s general education sector. This financial pressure ultimately forced the state’s hand.
State Education Minister V. Sivankutty announced the decision on Sunday, framing it as a pragmatic choice compelled by financial necessity. “There are arrears of ₹1,466 crore that we have to receive from the Centre. It is money that must be spent on our children,” Sivankutty stated. “Many expenses, such as grants to students and salaries to teachers, can be met only if we get this fund.”
The minister defended the U-turn by arguing that the Centre’s funds belong to all citizens and that other state departments like Health and Agriculture had already accepted central assistance. He accused the Centre of withholding aid on “silly grounds,” but pledged that Kerala would continue to uphold its own educational policies. “We will adopt a practical approach,” he said.
The government’s decision highlights a stark contrast in how states are responding to the scheme. While Kerala has now pragmatically joined to access crucial funds, states like Tamil Nadu have chosen to continue their ideological opposition, potentially at the cost of their own students’ development and welfare.
Facing withheld funds of nearly ₹2,500 crore tied to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Tamil Nadu government, led by the DMK, is protesting the Centre’s conditions. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has clarified that Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) funds are linked to the implementation of the NEP and the PM SHRI schools scheme, which the state has outright rejected, decrying it as “Hindi imposition.” This has created a contradictory stance: the DMK is publicly protesting to demand the release of funds for a central scheme it officially refuses to join, leading to accusations of political posturing over a policy it has consistently opposed.
The PM SHRI scheme, which aims to upgrade existing schools, requires state governments to bear 40% of the project cost. So far, 12,400 schools across 670 districts in the country have been incorporated under the initiative. The Kerala government, however, maintained that it has already independently implemented many of the scheme’s infrastructure components, including setting up 40,000 smart classrooms with broadband connectivity.
(Source: Indian Express)
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