Kerala signed PM SHRI MoU, but skipped follow-upsteps: Centre

NEW DELHI: Kerala has signed the memorandum of understanding for the PM SHRI school modernisation scheme but has yet to take part in any of the subsequent implementation steps, the Union government told Parliament.

Responding to a question from MP Jebi Mather in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary said Kerala did not participate in the "challenge mode" process required to identify schools eligible for the scheme after signing the agreement.

Consequently, the number of state government schools in Kerala included under PM SHRI stands at zero. The 47 schools selected for the program in the state so far are exclusively Kendriya Vidyalayas and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas running under the central government.

The Centre has not allocated special funds to Kerala under the initiative. Instead, the administration released 99.27 crore rupees solely as the Right to Education share through Samagra Shiksha, keeping the broader interests of students in view.

Kerala shares its zero-participation status with Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. While Tamil Nadu has not signed the MoU at all and West Bengal's selection process remains underway, the Centre emphasised that Kerala completely refrained from the selection process despite signing the initial pact.