Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has decided to join the Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme, ending months of uncertainty and disagreement within the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), despite strong objections from the Communist Party of India (CPI), a key coalition partner.
Education Minister V. Sivankutty confirmed that the decision has been formally conveyed to the Union government and that the department secretary has been directed to sign the agreement.
“This was the only way to secure the Centre’s share of Rs 1,500 crore, which has been pending for various educational programmes in Kerala,” Sivankutty said.
The move marks a major policy shift for the LDF government, which had twice withdrawn from the scheme earlier due to CPI pressure. Notably, the latest decision was taken without placing the matter before the State Cabinet.
Sivankutty said cabinet approval was unnecessary, as similar procedures had been followed by the Agriculture and Higher Education departments when joining central schemes.
The renewed decision came after Sivankutty met Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi. Consultations with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPI(M) leadership subsequently cleared the way for Kerala’s participation.
Under the PM SHRI scheme, two schools from each block will be selected for development with central assistance. Each will receive an average grant of Rs one crore per year for five years to upgrade infrastructure and teaching standards.
Kerala had initially resisted joining the scheme, citing concerns that it would indirectly pave the way for implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) in the state. The CPI and several education activists had objected to the scheme’s branding, saying that putting up “PM SHRI School” boards would amount to political promotion and undermine the state’s autonomy in education policy.
However, the General Education Department warned that continued non-participation had already led to the freezing of Rs 1,500 crore in central funds under the Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK) programme, affecting the salaries of nearly 6,000 SSK employees.
Sivankutty reiterated that while Kerala would join the PM SHRI scheme to access funds, it would not adopt any NEP provisions that the state has officially rejected, including those related to syllabus changes or historical content revision.