PM-SHRI SCHEME: Five states including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Delhi, Punjab, and West Bengal are yet to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre on the PM-SHRI scheme -- which is Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India. While Tamil Nadu and Kerala have shown their willingness to join the scheme, Delhi, Punjab and West Bengal have refused to enter a MoU with the Union government.
Since, these states have not yet signed the MoU with the Centre, it is learnt that the government has stopped funds under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), the flagship school education programme.
What is PM-SHRI scheme and its features?
The Union Cabinet approved a new centrally-sponsored scheme named Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI) in September 2022.
These schools are to showcase the implementation of the National Education Policy, 2020, and emerge as exemplar schools over a period of time, and also offer leadership to other schools in the neighbourhood, said former Union Minister of Education for State Annapurna Devi.
The former minister had earlier said there is a provision to set up more than 14,500 PM-SHRI schools by strengthening the existing schools from among those managed by the central, state and Union Territory governments and local bodies.
"Twenty-nine states and UTs along with KVS/NVS have signed the MoU; five states/UTs namely National Capital Territory of Delhi, Kerala, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have not signed the MoU with the Government of India yet, whereas Punjab has proposed to withdraw from the MoU that was originally signed," Devi said.
"These state governments have been requested multiple times to come on board to avail PM-SHRI scheme for the benefit of the people, through various communications from this ministry," she added.
Under this scheme, the Centre will take 60 per cent of the financial burden while states will contribute 40 per cent to upgrade at least 14,500 government schools and display them as a shining example of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI) scheme aims at delivering quality teaching for the cognitive development of students and creating and nurturing holistic and well-rounded individuals equipped with key 21st-century skills.
The government also plans to establish a similar number of additional schools in the future. Anganwadi centres have been transformed into schools to provide children with an education that incorporates sports and play, an official said.
Hundreds of schools from various states have joined the PM-SHRI scheme in recent months.
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