Kerala to join PM SHRI scheme, Says Education Minister Sivankutty

Kerala General Education Minister V. Sivankutty on Sunday announced that the state will join the PM SHRI scheme to secure the due central funds but asserted that it would not backtrack from the existing educational policy. While the CPI, an important constituent of the ruling LDF, expressed reservations about this policy shift, its representative in the ministry, Revenue Minister K. Rajan, said the matter had not been discussed in the cabinet.

The BJP both welcomed the minister’s announcement and slammed the CPI(M)-led government for “two years of unnecessary opposition and stubbornness” before joining the scheme. State BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar termed the government’s change of heart as “CPI(M)’s admission that the Union government’s stand and the National Education Policy were correct.”

Speaking to a television channel, Minister Sivankutty said every citizen of the country deserves central funds, and there is no reason for Kerala to stay away from them. He noted that the state is already owed ₹1,466 crore for various educational programmes and stressed that the children of Kerala deserve these funds.

However, Sivankutty clarified that joining the Union government scheme is only a practical way to access the funds and would not alter Kerala’s existing educational policy. He added that the state could implement various educational programmes and pay the salaries of over 7,000 teachers smoothly only if it received these funds.

“We will not backtrack from the state’s educational policy. Various departments, including health, higher education, and agriculture, have already accepted central funds,” Sivankutty said. He emphasized that the state would not implement anything against its existing policy, even if suggested by the Centre.

The minister also recalled how Kerala had introduced alternative textbooks after concerns over alleged distortions in NCERT history books.

When asked whether the decision was made after consulting the CPI, a key partner in the LDF that has strongly opposed joining the PM SHRI scheme, Sivankutty did not give a clear reply. The PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme is a Union government initiative to upgrade select schools nationwide. More than 14,500 central, state, and local body-run schools are expected to be strengthened and upgraded under the programme, official sources said.

Differences of opinion within the ruling LDF surfaced as CPI leaders later clarified that they were not aware of the development. CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam said their earlier stand had not changed, while Revenue Minister K. Rajan maintained that no cabinet decision had been taken.

“It is a matter that requires necessary consultations,” Rajan said. Viswam added that Kerala cannot accept the NEP, which he claimed reflects RSS ideology and promotes “communalisation and commercialisation.”

Meanwhile, BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar described Kerala’s decision to join the scheme as “wisdom that came too late.” In a statement, he said the CPM and Pinarayi Vijayan government owed an apology to the people for denying thousands of students the benefits of the Union government’s education programme for so long.

Chandrasekhar alleged that the state government first opposed good initiatives and later claimed credit for them. “After two years of unnecessary opposition and stubbornness, the Kerala government has now decided to sign the MoU for the PM SHRI scheme. This is an admission by the CPI(M) that the Union government’s stand and the NEP were completely right,” he said.

He also accused the state government of spreading false propaganda, claiming that the Centre was not releasing funds while simultaneously refusing to implement the scheme.

BJP’s youth wing, ABVP, welcomed the state government’s decision, noting that around 336 schools in Kerala would directly benefit from the scheme and be elevated to Kendriya Vidyalaya standards.