Will continue efforts to get SSK fund, says Kerala education minister

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Kerala general education minister V Sivankutty said on Sunday that though the state government had decided to withhold the implementation of the PM SHRI scheme, it would continue its attempt to get the Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK) fund from the Union government. Sivankutty said he would be in New Delhi on November 10 to attend a meeting of labour ministers and would also try to meet Union education minister to press the matter.

While talking to reporters here, the minister said there is no "personal happiness or unhappiness" for him in terms of the PM SHRI education scheme as the objective is to adopt the policy of the Left Democratic Front ( LDF ). He said the government had appointed a cabinet sub-committee to submit a report on the implementation of the PM SHRI and its first meeting is yet to be convened. Further procedures in this regard would be decided after its meeting, the Left leader said.

"We will continue our attempt to get the SSK fund," Sivankutty said while replying to a question in this regard. A recent discussion held with an official concerned with regard to SSK fund was "positive", he added. Facing strong resistance from its major coalition partner, the CPI, the CPI(M)-led Left government in Kerala on Wednesday decided to put on hold the implementation of the Centre's PM SHRI scheme in the state, days after a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in this regard in New Delhi. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

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Announcing the decision to review the implementation of the scheme, the chief minister said it was made in view of the controversies and concerns that had arisen over the matter. He said a seven-member Cabinet sub-committee has been constituted to study the implementation of the central school scheme.

The CM's announcement follows strong objections from the CPI against the PM SHRI alleging that it would pave the way for the implementation of the RSS agenda in the education sector in the state. Though the general education department had initially justified the signing of MoU to secure central funds , the CPI argued that joining the scheme would be seen as a deviation from the proclaimed policy of the LDF.