Kerala to join PM SHRI scheme without changing state education policy

Kerala has decided to join the central government’s PM SHRI scheme to secure long-pending education funds, but the state clarified that the move will not alter its existing education policy.

General Education Minister V Sivankutty said the decision was a practical step to access the state’s due share of central funds, amounting to ₹1,466 crore, without compromising Kerala’s policy priorities.

“Every citizen of the country deserves central funds, and there is no reason for Kerala to stay away from it,” he said.

The minister explained that the funds were essential for running various education programs and ensuring timely payment of salaries to over 7,000 teachers.

“We will not backtrack from the state’s educational policy. Various departments, including health, higher education, and agriculture, have already accepted the central funds,” he added.

Sivankutty emphasized that joining the PM SHRI scheme did not mean Kerala would accept any part of the Center’s education framework that conflicts with its own.

“The state would not implement anything against the existing policy, even if the Centre suggests so,” he said, recalling how Kerala had earlier released alternative textbooks after accusing the NCERT of distorting national history.

The PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme is a central government initiative to upgrade select schools nationwide.

More than 14,500 existing schools run by the Centre, states, and local bodies are expected to be modernized under the program.

However, the decision has stirred unease within the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF). The Communist Party of India (CPI), a key coalition partner, said it was unaware of any official decision. CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam said there was “no change” in the party’s opposition to joining the PM SHRI scheme.

“I came to know about Sivankutty’s statement only through the media,” Viswam said, cautioning that such a step should be reconsidered since “the state cannot accept the National Education Policy (NEP), which reflects RSS ideology and the agenda of communalization and commercialization.”

Revenue Minister and senior CPI leader K Rajan also maintained that no government-level decision had been made. “It’s a matter that requires necessary consultations,” he said.

Sivankutty, meanwhile, reaffirmed that Kerala would not succumb to central pressure.

“Though the Centre puts pressure on the state, Kerala won’t kneel down before it,” he said, adding that joining the scheme was solely a financial decision to ensure the state receives its rightful funds.