Kerala to decide on PM SHRI scheme after expert consultations, says Education Minister Samsudheen

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala General Education Minister N Samsudheen on Saturday said the state government will decide on the PM SHRI scheme only after holding detailed discussions and consultations with experts, adding that there was no "emergency" in the matter. Speaking to reporters in response to questions regarding a report submitted by the Director of General Education on the scheme, the minister said all aspects would be examined before a final decision is taken.

"It is true that the Director has submitted a report. However, a decision can be taken only after discussions within the government and consultations with experts," he said. Samsudheen said the present government was a continuation of the previous administration, which had signed the agreement with the Centre and received funds under the scheme.

"The previous government had signed the agreement and accepted the funds. So, we will examine the report before taking a final decision," he said. Stating that there was no "emergency" for an immediate decision, the minister said the Centre should not impose conditions on states while releasing funds. "There are federal principles in our country.

Imposing conditions on states for disbursing funds amounts to a violation of those principles. That is our stand," he said. The CPI(M)-led Left government had, in October last year, put on hold the implementation of the PM SHRI scheme, days after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Centre, following objections from coalition partner CPI.

The CPI had alleged that the scheme could pave the way for the implementation of the RSS agenda in the education sector, while the General Education Department had defended the move as necessary for securing central assistance. Congress-led UDF then criticised the LDF government for signing the PM SHRI MoU. Meanwhile, responding to questions on the recent controversy surrounding the lighting of a traditional "nilavilakku" (lamp) at a public function, Shamsudheen described it as a minor issue that did not warrant much discussion.

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"Such practices have been continuing for a long time. There is no need for unnecessary debate over the matter," the minister added. His remarks came amidst a row that erupted in the matter after the prominent Islamic body Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulamma said Muslims should refrain from lighting traditional lamps, describing it as a practice associated with another religion.

Reacting sharply on the matter, senior CPI(M) leader and former General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Saturday accused the Congress-led UDF government of adopting a "double standard" and yielding to the Centre's attempts to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) in Kerala. In a statement, Sivankutty said UDF leaders, who had earlier criticised the previous LDF government over its stand on the PM SHRI scheme and branded it as being aligned with the BJP and RSS, were now supporting the very same programme.

He alleged that the Centre was using the scheme as a tool to impose the NEP and claimed that the UDF government was compromising Kerala's educational rights for a project that offers only limited financial assistance and covers a small number of schools in the state. The CPI(M) leader said the previous LDF government had decided to keep in abeyance the memorandum of understanding (MoU) related to the scheme after concerns were raised regarding its implementation and had formally communicated the decision to the Centre.

He further alleged that the Centre had withheld substantial funds due to Kerala under the Samagra Shiksha programme, including pending allocations for multiple financial years, and claimed that the move was affecting the education of children from poor and marginalised sections. Sivankutty urged the state government not to succumb to what he termed as pressure from the Centre to implement the NEP and called upon it to abandon efforts to proceed with the PM SHRI scheme.