Kerala will join PM SHRI scheme, but no change in state education policy: Sivankutty

THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Sunday announced that the state will join the PM SHRI scheme to get the due central funds, but asserted that it would not backtrack from the existing educational policy in the state.

He said every citizen of the country deserves central funds and so there is no need for Kerala to stay away from it. There is already a due of Rs 1,466 crore central funds to the state for various educational programmes and children of Kerala deserve it, the minister said while speaking to a television channel.

However, the minister made it clear that joining the union government scheme is only a practical way to get the due funds and it would not make any difference in Kerala's existing educational policy. He said the state can implement various programmes in the educational sector and pay the salaries of over 7,000 teachers smoothly only if it receives the funds.

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"We will not backtrack from the state's educational policy. Various departments, including health, higher education and agriculture have already accepted the central funds," Sivankutty said.

The state would not implement anything against the existing policy, even if the Centre suggests so, he said. He also recalled how Kerala had brought out alternate textbooks when the country's history was allegedly attempted to be distorted in the books of the National Council of Educationsl Research and Training (NCERT) recently.

When reporters asked whether the decision was taken after holding a discussion with CPI, a key partner in the LDF, which has been vehemently opposing the state joining PM SHRI scheme, the minister didn't give a clear reply.

The PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme is a union government's initiative to upgrade select schools across the country. More than 14,500 existing central, state, local body run schools will be strengthened and upgraded as PM SHRI, official sources have said.