Thiruvananthapuram, Keralam will decide on the future course of action regarding the PM SHRI scheme only after a sub-committee submits its report, General Education Minister N Samsudheen told the Assembly on Thursday.
The minister’s reply indicated that Keralam would wait for the sub-committee’s recommendations before taking a final decision. The scheme is now being implemented in 419 schools in Punjab, according to the figures cited in the Assembly. The Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India scheme targets upgrading 14,500 schools and is expected to benefit 1.8 million students. It also aims to ensure these schools serve as model institutes and encapsulate the spirit of the National Education Policy 2020.
Because the previous Left government had agreed to implement the scheme, replying to questions regarding the scheme, the minister said the state was facing a difficult situation.
“The present government is facing a crisis arising from the fact that the previous government agreed to implement the PM SHRI scheme and signed an MoU, which does not contain a provision allowing the state to withdraw from it,” Samsudheen said. He said the government’s stand was that public schools in Keralam could not teach a curriculum other than the one prescribed by the state. The minister said a sub-committee had been constituted to examine the steps the state should take regarding the scheme and submit a report.
