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Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 19 (IANS) Ending months of uncertainty and internal tussle within the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), the Kerala government has decided to join the Centre’s flagship education initiative – the Prime Minister’s School for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme – despite strong opposition from key coalition partner CPI.
Education Minister V. Sivankutty confirmed that the decision has been formally communicated to the central government and the department secretary has been instructed to sign the agreement.
“This was the only way to secure the Centre’s share of Rs 1,500 crore, which is pending for various educational programs in Kerala,” the minister said.
The move marks a significant policy shift for the LDF government, which had earlier backed out of the plan twice under pressure from the CPI.
However, the latest decision was taken without placing the matter before the state cabinet.
According to Sivankutty, Cabinet approval was unnecessary as similar procedures were followed by the agriculture and higher education departments while getting involved in central projects.
The fresh decision was taken after a meeting between Minister Shivankutty and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi.
Subsequent consultations with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPI(M) leadership cleared the way for Kerala’s participation.
Under the PM SHRI scheme, two schools will be selected from each block and developed with central assistance. Each institute will receive an average annual grant of Rs 1 crore for five years to upgrade infrastructure and teaching standards.
Initially, the state government had opposed joining the scheme, arguing that it could indirectly facilitate the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) in Kerala.
The CPI and many education activists had expressed concerns that displaying boards titled “PM SHRI SCHOOLS” would be political branding and compromise the state’s autonomy in education policy.
However, the General Education Department warned that Rs 1,500 crore in central funds under the Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK) program has already been withheld due to Kerala’s continued absence from the scheme, disrupting the salaries of about 6,000 SSK employees.
Minister Sivankutty reiterated that while Kerala will join PM SHRI in using the funds, the state will not implement any provision of the NEP that it has officially rejected, including provisions related to curriculum changes and historical content amendments.
–IANS
AL/DPB