Kerala urges united effort to claim ₹1,500 crore withheld by Union govt

Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty has urged all stakeholders to come together to help the state secure ₹1,500 crore in funds allegedly withheld by the Union government for its public education sector.

Speaking at a meeting of student organizations on June 25, convened to address the issue, Sivankutty said the Union government had blocked the release of funds, including those allocated for the Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK) initiative, because the state declined to sign the PM SHRI scheme.

"Various steps, including legal action, are being considered to get the funds," Sivankutty said, noting that two meetings with the Union Education Minister on the matter have so far produced no results.

He explained that Kerala did not accept the PM SHRI scheme due to its requirement to implement recommendations from the National Education Policy (NEP), which the state opposes.

The minister also highlighted recent curriculum updates. He said the powers and duties of the governor, as well as details of the emergency declared in 1975, have been added to the school syllabus.

These topics appear in the 10th-grade social science textbook under the chapter titled "Democracy as an Indian Experience."

The governor’s role has been detailed under the subheading "Confrontations in the Indian Federal System."

"The powers and duties of the governor are also clearly explained in it," Sivankutty said.

Additionally, the Emergency has been covered in a section titled "The Emergency: A Crisis in Indian Democracy," aimed at helping students understand this significant period in the country’s democratic history.