Let more schools prosper

It is good news that the Union Cabinet has allocated Rs 27,360 crore for the 'PM SHRI' school renovation scheme announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on last Teachers' Day. This amount will be used to improve 14,500 schools in the country in every way in the next five years. Apart from Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas, government schools in the states will also benefit from 'PM SHRI' fund utilization. Everyone says that the future of the country lies in the students. However, if we check the schools in the country, we can see that many are in very poor condition without even basic facilities.

PM SHRI will elevate schools to the status of laboratories of the new central education policy. Primary to higher secondary schools will come under the scheme. The objective is the holistic development of the schools selected for the scheme. All modern facilities will be provided to conduct the study in a pleasant atmosphere. Action will be taken to convert PM SHRI schools into green schools without harming the environment in any way. The electricity needs of schools will be met with solar energy. Organic farming will be encouraged on school premises. Waste disposal, treatment, water conservation etc. will be given importance. There will be an effort to expel plastic, which has become a huge threat to the environment, from the school premises. With the help of the industries in the respective areas, a special scheme will be introduced to train the children in the production sectors during their studies. Traditional learning models will be replaced by innovative models. Another important feature of PM SHRI schools is new learning methods without books and textbooks.

The Centre and the states will jointly find Rs 27,360 crores for the implementation of the scheme. 18,128 crore will be given as central share for five years. States will also have to pay their share according to the number of schools selected.

The condition of government schools even in states such as Kerala isn't that satisfactory. The situation is miserable in backward states. The main reason for the poor condition of government schools is that the education sector often does not get allocations according to the needs in the central and state budgets. In this field, Kerala has been implementing the school renovation project in a commendable manner for the past few years. Efforts are being made to modernize the schools and increase their facilities in a phased manner. Efforts should be made to maximize the benefit from the PM SHRI scheme. There is also the advantage of not having to wait for approval as the funds are transferred directly to the schools. Another advantage is that there will be no middlemen.