PM SHRI: Between funds and ideology

Kerala made headlines recently when it signed off on the Union government’s flagship PM SHRI (Prime Minister’s Schools for Rising India) scheme after resisting for three years; The Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the state hit the pause button after its coalition partner the Communist Party of India (CPI) government refused to comply with the decision, citing lack of consensus.

The plan was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on National Teachers’ Day 2022.

On September 7, 2022, the Union Cabinet approved the Centrally sponsored plan to develop over 14,500 existing schools across the country, including Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs), as model institutions illustrating the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

The project’s ‘Framework for school transformation’ states that PM SHRI schools are designed to meet the “demands of the 21st century”. With improved infrastructure and innovative pedagogy and technology, schools are intended to create “well-rounded individuals equipped with the basic skills of the 21st century.” According to the Union Ministry of Education, PM SHRI’s objective is to prepare schools where “every student feels welcomed and cared for, where a safe and stimulating learning environment exists, where a wide range of learning experiences are offered, and where good physical infrastructure and learning-assistive resources are available to all students.”

The program has been designed to directly benefit more than 18 lakh students. Providing mentoring to schools near PM SHRI schools is expected to benefit many more students. The total outlay of the project is ₹27,360 crore (Central share ₹18,128 crore and State/UT share ₹9,232 crore in 60:40 model), spread over a period of five years till March 2027. The Union government has allocated 90% of the funding to the northeastern and Himalayan States and the UT of Jammu and Kashmir and 100% to non-Legislative UTs. According to the PM SHRI dashboard, 13,070 schools have been selected for the program across the country. Of these, 1,533 are KVs and JNVs.

Only existing primary and secondary/higher secondary schools managed by Union/State/UT/local self-governments and having Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) code are selected for the programme.

The selection is made in three stages. First, the States or UTs sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Union government agreeing to implement the provisions of NEP 2020 “in its entirety”. Schools that meet the minimum criteria (based on UDISE+ data) are then shortlisted.

In the third stage, shortlisted schools compete to fulfill certain criteria based on the competition formula. Their requests are verified through physical inspection by the States or UTs and a list of schools is recommended to the Union Ministry of Education. A maximum of two schools (one primary school and one secondary/high school) are selected from each block or urban local unit. An expert committee recommends the final list of schools selected for PM SHRI in each State or UT.

The MoU for the PM SHRI scheme clearly states that PM SHRI should be added before the name of the selected schools. “Since these schools will be developed as PM SHRI Schools to provide quality education, no changes will be made for these schools henceforth by the States/UTs/KVS/NVS,” he says.

Key features

Pedagogy in PM SHRI schools will be more experiential, holistic, integrated, student-centered and flexible as per the guiding framework. The curriculum may follow the National Curriculum Framework/State Curriculum Framework developed in line with the new curriculum and pedagogical structure of NEP.

Schools will use the mother tongue/local or regional language for teaching and learning, especially in the early years.

Student registration to track registration and learning progress; STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) education; sports and arts for every student; ICT facility, smart classrooms and digital libraries, science laboratories and vocational laboratories; and early childhood care and education; Competency-based learning and improvement in learning outcomes of each student are some of the important aspects of PM SHRI schools.

The ‘School Quality Assessment Framework’, which measures the performance of these schools, is another important component. The evaluation framework will produce comprehensive reports that will help improve educational standards. ‘Traditions and practices and Indian knowledge systems’ are part of the curriculum in these schools. As mentioned, the framework is not prescriptive but thought-provoking in nature.

Paddle on PM SHRI

Although PM SHRI was launched in 2022, states such as Delhi, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have refused to come on board for various reasons, from political opposition to the NEP to objecting to the addition of the PM SHRI prefix in the name of schools to prioritize their own projects.

Punjab signed the MoU in 2022 but withdrew from it a year later. As in the case of Kerala, the halt of funds under Samagra Shiksha, another centrally sponsored education scheme by the Union government, has led to the Punjab government ultimately reconsidering the decision in 2024. Other States gradually caved in as critical funding shortages threatened to derail education plans.

Apart from Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu (three states ruled by Opposition parties) remain the only states that are yet to sign up for the scheme. West Bengal’s contention is about finance and branding. He asks why the program should be called PM SHRI if states have to bear 40% of the cost and take over schools after five years. For Tamil Nadu, the sticking point is the trilingual formula of the NEP. This amounts to ‘imposition of Hindi’ on the ruling government. Tamil Nadu has opted to seek legal redress for the release of around Rs 2,200 crore from the Union government.

Kerala too opposed Chief Minister SHRI on the grounds that he was flaunting the NEP, which was said to have been imposed by the Union government as part of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) agenda, which would lead to ‘socialization of education’ and encourage non-scientific thinking. The state had once agreed to implement the PM SHRI scheme in 2024 but refrained from signing the MoU.

More than a year later, the decision to throw in the towel was made after the Union government insisted on signing the agreement as a pre-condition for the release of pending Samagra Shiksha funds (₹ 1,158.13 crore).

Kerala tried to defend the move by saying that its education policy and values ​​would not be compromised. The government’s attempts to walk the tightrope of prioritizing the needs of the State while remaining true to the ideological opposition to the NEP ran into a wall of CPI objections, leading to a freeze in the implementation of the scheme. A cabinet sub-committee formed to review the MoU will now take a call on the issue.

It was published – 02 November 2025 01:04 IST